


The Lost Prince

by flowerpower71



Category: Original Work
Genre: Adventure, Betrayal, Dwarves, Elves, Fairy, Family, Fantasy, Feels, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Original Character(s), Were-Creatures, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-07-03 20:06:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 30,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15826032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerpower71/pseuds/flowerpower71
Summary: Many years ago, the kingdom of Kaella was attacked and fell under the rule of the evil tyrant, Sabor; sending the once peaceful and thriving kingdom into chaos and downfall. However, unbeknownst to Sabor, one member of the royal family survived that fateful night. Now nearly twenty years later, Rhys learns of his true identity of being the lost prince  of Kaella and it is his destiny to defeat Sabor and reclaim his throne.  Follow Rhys and his friends on their journey as they travel to Kaella, meeting many new faces and some old ones along the way. All the while avoiding danger. But as Rhys learns more about his past, how will he prepare for the future?





	1. Prologue: The Night A Kingdom Falls

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you for clicking onto my story. The Lost Prince is my first ever original story and I have finally decided to begin sharing this world and these characters to the world. I know that this isn't perfect by any means, but I have and will continue to pour my heart and soul into this story. It would mean the world to me if you would be so kind as to give this story a read and leave feedback on it, both good and bad. I also except constructive criticism.
> 
> Thank you all once again, and so now, without further ado, lets get on with the story! :)

Screams and shouts echoed through the stone walls. A cacophony of anger, fear, determination and pain. A mixture of orders being shouted and battle cries topped off with the thundering of hundreds of pairs of boots as the soldiers, servants and everyone else in the castle either ran to confront the invading enemy, or fled for their lives.

 

It was a literal warzone right in her own home.

 

Queen Venali ran down the hall as fast as she could, sticking to the shadows and trying so desperately to block out the sounds of fighting which seemed to be coming from every direction. Her heart pounding hard in her chest and slamming against her rib cage. 

 

She was scared. No, she was terrified. She had never been more terrified in her entire life than she was in this moment. Her home had been invaded. The one place where she was supposed to feel safe was currently being flooded with enemy soldiers. And though their own army was currently defending the castle with their lives, Venali knew that deep down, their efforts are in vain. She knew that this will be her last night on this earth.

 

The queen shook her head and pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind. She had to focus on the task at hand. She had to get to that room before he did!

 

Relief filled Venali as she rounded the corner and saw no one else around. No guards, enemy or her own. 

 

In about four quick strides she ran to the door and turned the handle throwing it open. She barreled her way inside and hurried to the large, luxourious crib which stood in the center of the room. Relief momentarily filled the queen once again as she looked down at her son.

 

The infant elf looked up at his mother with large, stormy gray eyes; so much like his father. His chestnut colored hair fluffing up and sticking out in every direction. His blanket clutched tightly in his tiny, tan colored fist. The baby heaved and opened his mouth, letting out a scared shriek. He could hear the shouts and footsteps and bloodshed outside. Though he was much too young to understand what was happening, he was not to young to know that whatever is was, it was bad and it frightened him.

 

"Shh, shh, shh, my darling." Venali said, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice. She bent down and scooped the baby into her arms, hugging him tightly. "You must be quiet."

 

The baby whimpered clinging to his mother; using his free hand to ball the silk fabric of her robe. He could still hear the scary noises outside but being held by his mother comforted him.

 

Venali on the other hand could only stand there. Waiting for her doom. There was nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide. She glanced out the window and it was too high for her to even attempt to climb. Her body began to tremble and tears blinded her vision. Her stomach was a nervous wreck of knots and she fought the urge to be sick. The icy cold fingers of fear gripping tightly at her heart.

 

All she could do is stand there and hold her son.

 

Suddenly, she heard the click of the doorknob as it was being opened. Venali gasped. They found her!

She didn't want to look. She couldn't look! But on instinct her body automatically turned, her grip tightening on the baby.

 

The door flung open and two elves rushed inside. The taller of the two rushing towards the queen and prince.

 

"Venali! Rhys!"

 

"Thallon!" Venali cried with relief, running towards her husband. The two embraced and the brunette king looked between her and the baby in her arms. "Are you two alright?"

 

"W-Were fine. We're fine." Venali replied. Thallon allowed himself to release a breath he did not realize he head been holding. He glanced down at his son and cupped the back of the infant's head with his hand. Rhys let out a coo and looked up at his father. 

 

The family of three's attention was suddenly brought to the other elf who had arrived with Thallon. A muscular elf with both a head and face full of light red hair wearing a knights armor. He grunted as he shoved the dresser in front of the crib which had been shoved in front of the closed door, creating a barricade.

 

"That should hold them off." the knight murmured before adding a grim "for now...."

 

"What do we do now?" Venali whimpered, looking between the two men for answers.

Thallon felt a lump forming in his throat. It was his job to protect his queen, his son and his kingdom. He failed to protect all three. "I....I don't know."

A heavy silence filled the room. The three adults all knowing but not wanting to accept that this was most likely their last few moments together. Their last few moments alive.

 

Venali and Thallon looked down at their son. Barely even a year old. Though neither of them were ready to die, the thought of their little one not even seeing his first birthday was unbareable. 

Tears filled Venali's eyes and she clutched her son tighter. She tilted her head, lavender eyes meeting Thallon's stormy gray ones. The king and queen having a silent conversation. With just that look, they both knew what they had to do.

 

It was both the easiest, yet most painful decision of their lives.

 

"Orin."

 

The red headed knight elf snapped to attention at his King and long time friends call. "Yes?"

 

With shaky steps Venali stepped forward. Holding back her tears and held out her arms in front of a bewildered Orin, holding out her son. "Take him."

 

"What?!" Orin gasped, looking from the young prince to the king and queen. Confusion and alarm written in his magenta colored eyes.

 

"Orin, please!" Thallon jumped in. "If only one of us can make it through this night, it has to be him."

 

"Take your daughter and Rhys and get as far away from Kaella as possible." Venali ordered still holding out her son.

 

Orin stood there dumbfounded. Thallon and Venali had trusted him with important tasks and responsibilities before but nothing of this magnitude. Nothing with the stakes being this high.

 

And yet, as he looked into their eyes, he understood. He saw the pain and anguish in the rulers eyes, neither of them wanting to part with their only child but knowing it was best. And if Orin was being completely honest, deep down, a small part of him was a tiny bit honored to be asked such a thing. But that part was buried underneath the stress and overwhelming emotions of the situation. Venali and Thallon were counting on him. Rhys was counting on him.

With a shuddering breath and forcing his hands to be steady, Orin reached out, gently taking the bundle of blankets from his mother's arms, tucking him protectively in his own. The instant that Rhys was out of her grip, Venali felt the temperature in the room drop.

 

"I swear to you both I will protect him and raise him as if he were my own." the captain of the guards swore. His face serious and his eyes looking misty.

"We know you will." Thallon said, pulling his childhood friend into a tight hug, Venali joining in. Once the hug separated, Thallon reached over and pulled a ring off of his index finger of his right hand. He pressed the ring into Orin's hand. "When he's old enough, once the time is right, give this to him."

Orin nodded solemnly, placing the ring in his pocket. He glanced down at the little prince in his arms. The baby looked back up at him, then turned his head and looked over at his parents. 

 

Venali bent down, one hand wrapping around her sons and her lips pressing to the side of his head. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she whispered her goodbyes. "We love you so much darling."

 

"You have your whole life ahead of you my son." Thallon murmured, cupping his hand underneath the baby's. "You have great things ahead of you. And your mother and I will always be with you."

 

Rhys looked up at his parents. His little mind locking away the mental images. His father's thick chocolate colored hair and beard. His mother's kind, gentle face. The freckles that lightly sprinkled across her nose and the apples of her cheeks. His strong jaw and stormy gray eyes that held a sort of calming effect.

 

This would be the last image of his parents that he would cling too.

 

BOOM!

The explosion thundered in their ears and shook the room. A sickly green smoke filled the room and the three adults simultaneously, instinctively huddled around the baby prince; shielding him from the flying debris that used to be door, the crib and the dresser. 

 

Their barricade had failed. They've been found.

 

"My, My. Now isn't this a sweet sight."

The voice was as smooth as butter with all the slyness of a cat. A paralyzing chill ran down Thallon, Venali and Orin's backs. They knew that voice.

They knew it all to well.

Thallon turned and instinctively moved in front of his wife, friend and child. He gritted his teeth and glared as the dark figured strolled casually into the nursery. "Sabor!"

 

"Glad to see you again, old friend." Sabor spat. He was a rather tall elf. His long black hair neatly combed back with pieces of it sectioned off into little braids which fell down the right side of his face. The rest of it cascading down his back like an inky waterfall. His clothes were mostly gray and black, mostly hidden by his black cloak with fluffy gray fur along the neck. A sapphire pendant sitting smack dab in the middle, holding it closed. Upon his head sat a silver colored crown with a similar looking jewel dangling down his forehead. His dark eyes glaring at the royals in front of him. "It's been so long."

 

"Friend? You dare call me friend after you invade my home, attack my servants and blow a hole through my sons door!?" Thallon roared. 

 

"I'm using the word in a loose term, Thallon." Sabor replied. The smirk which had been on his face when he entered the room, formed into a scowl. "You and I both know that our friendship ended long before tonight."

"Sabor, please." Venali pleaded. "It's not to late. You can stop this, right now. We can talk this over..."

Black eyes fell onto the queen. For a moment, just a moment, the elf paused. His expression softened. Barely, but it did. A second ticked by. Perhaps two. Then Sabor's expression hardened again. 

"I'm sorry Venali. I truly am." He sounded so sincere, she almost believed him. Almost. "But I am afraid it's far to late to turn back now."

He lifted up his hand. His gloves covering his palm and forearm but left his fingers exposed. Green electric sparks appeared and then a blazing ball of neon green fire shot out towards them. 

 

"WATCH OUT!" Thallon cried and the trio jumped out of the way. Sabor lifted his hand, preparing to send another blast at them but was caught off guard as Thallon rammed into his body. Sabor felt the wind knocked out of him and he grunted as the king pinned him against the wall.

 

"Thallon!" Orin cried.

 

"Go!" The king ordered, still pinning Sabor to the wall. "Take Rhys and run! Both of you get out of here! NOW!!"

Orin reached over and grabbed the queen by the wrist and both of them sprinted off out of the room, exiting it just as Sabor shoved Thallon off of him and the two began to tussle. Orin tried not to think of the fact that his king and best friend was alone with that mad man and Venali swallowed down the lump in her throat, shoving away the thought that that might very well have been the last time she would see her husband. Thallon knew what he was doing. Right now all that mattered was getting out of here. They had to-

Venali screamed as a dagger flew past her, missing her face by mere inches and impaling itself into the wall. Her sudden stop made Orin lose his grip on her wrist and the knight skidded to a stop. Both of them whirled around, looking where the dagger had come from.

 

"Aw, how cute. You actually think you can escape."

The feminine voice cooed from the shadows. A pair of piercing yellow eyes glowed from within the darkness and Orin shifted the prince to one arm, his free hand reaching behind him and grabbing at the shield which was strapped to his back. Venali stood, frozen in place and Rhys let out a frightened whimper.

The shadows began to shift and the yellow eyes moved closer as their owner strutted forward. She was a rather tall, curvy woman. Her skin as dark as her soul which contrasted greatly against her long, flowing snow white hair. She was dressed in red and her smile curved up into an evil little smirk. From her sleeves she produced three more daggers identical to the first one.

"I admire your efforts." The woman mused. She smirked again and held up her blades. "Sadly though, Im afraid it's all in vain."

 

Orin quickly drew his shield and thrust it infront of himself and Venali. The daggers hit the shield with three little thuds and stuck out of the shield. The red headed elf roughly nudged into Venali, pushing her ahead of him and the two took off running again. Orin standing behind Venali and sheilding the both of them. All the while keeping Rhys safely covered behind the shield.

 

The two ran as fast as they could down the hall. Orin looked back just in time to see the lady in red once again disappear into the shadows. "Shit!"

"Watch your language in front of the baby!" Venali scolded.

"No offense your majesty but now is the time to swear if there ever was!" Orin snapped. Sometimes being close friends with the rulers of the kingdom. You could smart off to them from time to time and not risk being thrown in the dungeon or sent to the gallows.

Not like now would be the time to do such a thing, but the point still stands.

They let the subject drop and continued running. They rounded the corner they spotted the set of stairs which lead to the sleeping quarters of the servants and guards.

"Quick down here." Orin ordered. He stepped in front of Venali, still holding up his shield. If anything was down there waiting for them, he'd be ready. 

Orin felt a knot twist in his stomach. If something was down there, they could have gotten to her.

The knight quickly shoved the thought out of his mind. He had to focus. But as he prepared to descend down the stairs, he saw a flash out of the corner of his eye and before he even finished turning around, the woman from earlier had returned. Her arm wrapped around the queen in a chokehold and a knife pointed at her throat.

"Hand over the brat or else Queenie here gets it!" 

Orin froze. Torn between his duty and saving the wife of his best friend. What sort of man would be if he just left a mother to die? But at the same time, he couldn't hand over a defenseless infant to this monster. And to add even more pressure to the situation, there was another voice in his mind, screaming at him to get down those stairs to his quarters.

 

"NOW you bastard!" the snowy haired Fae snarled pressing the knife closer to Venali's neck. 

"D-Don't listen to her Orin!" Venali struggled through the tears. "Take him and run!"

"Don't you dare take another step or you'll have her blood on your hands!" the woman threatened, her grip tightening on Venali, causing the elf queen to let out a pitiful strangled gasp.

Venali could see the struggle in the knights eyes. She's known him too long to know that he would never leave her like this. Her eyes drifted to where she knew her baby was, still safely hidden behind Orin's shield. She knew that he would be safe with Orin but in order for that to happen, she needed to give them a chance to escape.

She would have to save herself.

Doing the first thing she could think of, she lifted her foot and them slammed it down hard on her captor's. The woman made a sound that was half yelp half growl but she still kept her hold on the queen and the knife in place. 

But the action did however cause her to loosen the grip just a tiny bit. That was just enough wriggle room for Venali to move her head down and bite down onto the woman's forearm. The woman yowled in pain, instinctively letting go and Venali took off running, shoving her body into the momentarily distracted knife weilder and knocking her to the ground. She reached up and placed a hand at her neck where the knife had pierced her. Not deep enough to be fatal, but deep enough that she could feel the blood seeping through her fingers and down her collarbone and chest, staining her nightgown.

 

"Venali!" Orin cried.

"Take care of him!"

And with those last words, she disappeared around the corner. Not wasting a second Orin turned and went down the first few stairs. The Fae snarled with fury and lunged at the knight and prince.....only to smack into the door just as Orin pressed against it with his back and slammed it in her face. 

"You can run all you want! But we'll find you and the prince! You cant hide forever!"

But her threats fell on deaf ears. As Orin lowered the wooden plank across the door to seal it shut, he pounded down the stairs. Rhys whined and squirmed a little in his arms but otherwise, remained silent and still.

The knight tightened his grip on the baby and made it to the bottom of the stairs. His feet barely touching the floor when he was off running again, taking a sharp left. Unlike the upstairs, it seemed like none of Sabor's soldiers have made it to this part of the castle yet. Orin remained on guard though, quickly making his way down the long haul until he came to the door which served as his quarters. With his free hand, he quickly threw his door open.

"Aerin!"

For a moment, nothing happened. The room remained empty and Orin felt his blood run cold, thinking the worst.....But then he saw the bedskirt flutter as it was lifted up, revealing a pair of familiar magenta colored eyes.

 

"P-Papa?"

Relief flooded Orin as the owner of those beautiful eyes crawled out from under the bed. A tiny elf girl no older than three quickly scurried out from under the bed and ran to him. Orin dropped to his knees and wrapped his daughter in a tight hug with his free hand. Aerin clung to him and burst into fresh tears. Her tiny body shaking with relief, fear and stress. Her pink curly hair still a bit frizzled with bed head. She had been sleeping peacefully before her father woke her up and ordered her to stay under the bed, not to come out until he returned to her.

 

"Shh, shh, I'm here Aerin. You're alright. Papa's here." the knight shushed, trying to calm his frantically beating heart. They were safe for the moment but that wouldn't last long at all. 

"I-I'm scared Papa!" the child sniveled. "I'm scared!"

"I know. I am too..." he admitted. "But we must be brave. It's not safe to stay here. We have to get out of the castle."

 

Aerin sniffled, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her cotton nightgown. It was at this moment that she noticed the baby in her father's arms. "Papa what're you doing with Prince Rhys?"

 

"He's coming with us to be safe." Orin said simply. He rose to his feet and with his free hand, clutched his daughters hand in his much larger one. "Come on, we have to hurry."

 

The pink haired girl didn't get a chance to finish nodding before her arm was tugged and she hurried off behind her father.

 

********************************

The trio managed to sneak down the hall till the found another set of stairs. This set leading down to the first floor of the castle. 

"Where are we going Papa?" Aerin whispered, trailing behind her fathers heels as they slinked along the walls, keeping to the shadows and listening for any signs of trouble.

"Shh, quiet Aerin." Orin shushed and Aerin clamped her mouth shut. Within a few moments though, she got her answer as she recognized the door they were approaching. It was the door that lead to the laboratory that belonged to Malchior, -the official Royal Wizard and dear friend to Queen Venali- and his young apprentice, Jornah.

Orin suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing Aerin to bump into his leg. Poking his head out from around the corner, he looked both ways and once he deemed the coast to be clear, the two of them started moving again.

The both of them gasped as they opened the door and saw the sight before them. 

 

The room was a complete disaster zone. Broken glass littered the floor. Strange, brightly colored liquids dripped down from the shelves and tables where the beakers and jars that once housed them once stood. Books lay open scattered upon the floor. Pages and papers ripped up and scattered along the floor.

There was no sign of either of the magic users, anywhere.

"Wh-where are Malchior and Jornah, Papa?" Aerin whispered, looking up at her father. Her tiny face twisted into an expression of worry and fright."

 

"I...I don't know." Orin said, truthfully. "We just have to pray they escaped. Right now we got to get ourselves out of here!"

He handed the baby to his daughter and then ran to the wall on the far side of the room. Aerin and Rhys watched as the man began to run his hands along the wall. Pressing every brick, nook and crevice he could reach.

 

"Come one. Come on. Where is-" his sentence was cut off as a deep rumbling sound was heard. The father and daughter felt the floor begin to vibrate under their feet and a large hidden door began to open up in the ground. A long stair well lead down into the hole, disappearing into the darkness. 

"Come on!" Before Aerin could respond, Orin turned and picked up both her and the baby prince and began to descend down the stairs. The rumbling and vibrating started again as the door above them began to close itself. The destroyed lab once again empty.

 

*****************************************

Orin stared at the fire, watching as the brightly colored flames danced and swayed as they shot up from the kindling. After entering the secret trap door in the lab, he and the children travelled down a long dark tunnel that seemed to stretch on forever and ever.

Upon finally reaching the end of said tunnel, the three emerged from within the trunk of a hallowed out tree which was deep in the woods, far away from the castle. Once out, Orin ran. He ran and ran as fast as he could, one child in each of his arms. He ran until he couldn't run anymore. And when he couldn't run anymore he walked. He continued walking until he stumbled upon the cave where they currently were now. 

They all were exhausted and he couldn't hear any signs of being followed. Deeming the cave safe, he built a fire for warmth against the chilly night air and settled down for the rest of the night.

Aerin and Rhys fell asleep almost instantly. The events of the night wearing out their tiny little bodies. Orin however could not sleep. He was exhausted, yes. But it was the kind of exhausted where you were so tired but you could not sleep for your mind kept buzzing with thoughts.

Unfortunately for Orin, those thoughts kept replaying back the events of the night.

He didn't have guard duty that night. Other members of his regiment were keeping watch over the castle. He had been awoken as his bedroom door was thrown open, one of the knights exclaiming that the castle was under attack. Orin was out of bed in half the time it takes to blink an eye. Already grabbing his shield and sword and throwing on his armor. He ordered Aerin to hide under the bed and then rushed upstairs to defend the castle. His King and Queen and his home.

He saw many of his men slaughtered by Sabor's soldiers. Good men. Men he had been fond of. Men he knew had families. Children back at home waiting for them. But he shoved those thoughts aside for the time being. He needed to get to Thallon and Venali.

He found Thallon in one of the hallways. The King frantically explaining that he had lost his wife in the chaos but knew she had gone to the nursery. The two of them racing there.

Orin felt his throat grow tight and he allowed a single tear to be shed as he replayed their last moments in his mind. He had left Thallon alone with that traitor and Venali fled, defenseless against that woman with the knives.

He knew that there wasn't anything much differently that he could have done but he still blamed himself. He should have protected them! He should have done more! He-

A grunting noise brought him out of his thoughts. The Captain looked down at the sleeping infant in his arms. (Aerin was sleeping beside them, her head on Orin's lap) Prince Rhys slept soundly. His little chubby face peaceful. Having no idea that his whole life had suddenly just been turned upside down.

All their lives were turned upside down.

As he watched the prince sleep, Orin could feel a determination begin to rise in him. This was the last gift his King and Queen had given him. They had trusted him with the most important thing in their lives. The future of Kaella was resting on this infants shoulders and Thallon's ring in Orin's pocket suddenly felt like a hundred pound weight.

He would protect him. He would raise him and protect him and one day, maybe, just maybe, this sleeping babe in his arms could restore Kaella to what it once was.

Even if it cost Orin his life, he would do whatever it takes to keep this child alive.

He owed it to Thallon and Venali.

The events of the long night finally began to catch up to him. Orin leaned his head back against the cave wall and allowed his magenta colored eyes to slip shut. Tomorrow he would worry about travelling farther. Tomorrow he would worry about how he was going to raise two young children alone. Tomorrow he would worry about finding a place to live, a new job. Tomorrow he would worry about starting a new life.

But for now, they would sleep.


	2. Chapter One: The Ring

19 Years Later

 

The sun began to rise above the horizon. Painting the sky with brilliant hues of pink, orange which slowly began to fade to purple. The citizens of the little known village called Damerel began to stir. Rising from their beds and beginning to start their morning routines; preparing for the events of the day that would follow.

 

Just outside of Damerel, hidden within the forest was a farm. It wasn't a very big farm at all, really. The trees had been long cleared away in the back and was now replaced with plots where various vegetables grew. Tomotoes, carrots, potatoes and lettuce, to be precise. Along with the vegetables, there was also a few apple trees. Not nearly enough trees to be considered an orchard but enough that come apple picking season, there was enough of the red juicy fruits to sell. 

Just past the garden was a farm house. It wasn't much of a sight to behold. It was small, rundown and in desperate need of a paint job. It might not have been much, but it was home to the three occupants who lived there.

 

"RHYS! GET YOUR LAZY ASS UP AND DOWN HERE FOR BREAKFAST!! NOW!!"

 

Stormy gray eyes snapped open, only to be squeezed shut almost immediately as the sun poured in through the window. Rhys groaned and rolled over onto his stomach. Oh how he hated mornings.

 

"RHYS!!"

 

"I'm coming, Orin!" the elf called. Reluctantly, he kicked the covers off of him and sat up. His long legs dangling off the side of the bed. He pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes and rubbed them in an attempt to remove the remains of sleep. He stretched his arms above his head and arched his back. His muscles beginning to loosen as they too, awoken.

Once that was done, he hopped off the bed and hurried to the closet to get dressed. After throwing on a pair of brown pants, a white long sleeved cotton shirt and a pair of worn down muddied boots, the elf hurried downstairs to breakfast.

The alluring smell of frying bacon assaulted his nose before he ever reached the kitchen. 

 

"Good morning!"

 

"Morning Rhys." Aerin responded as she flipped the bacon over in the pan over the open fire. Her curly pink hair cascaded down her back, stopping at the middle and her light blue dress, lightly skirted across the floor whenever she walked.

 

"Morning." Orin mumbled from his spot at the breakfast table while he sipped on his piping hot mug of tea. His once red hair now beginning to gray in some areas. "'Bout time you woke up."

"Sorry. I didn't realize I slept in." Rhys sat down in chair just as Aerin came over and placed two plates down in front of him and her father.

"Thank you, Aerin." Orin said, giving his daughter a small, rare smile. The pink haired female elf smiled back and nodded in response as she retreated back to the fire place to make herself a plate. "I have a few errands to run in town today so you two will be by yourself for awhile."

 

"Are you sure you don't need help Papa?" Aerin asked as she came back to the table. sitting down. "Rhys or I can go with-"

 

"Now listen here!" the elder elf interrupted and the younger ones winced. "Just because my damn legs been acting up the last few days doesn't mean I'm an invalid!"

 

A few years prior, Orin had been injured in an accident after falling from the roof while repairing it. According to the healer, he had landed in such a way that it all but completely shattered his hip. Since then, even though the injury had long since healed, the former knight could no longer walk without the assistance of a cane and from time to time would suffer from pain. The past few days the pain had been flaring up more than usual. Despite it all though, the elf was determined to not let the leg hold him back.

"That wasn't what I was implying at all." Aerin responded, calmly. She was used to his outbursts.

"We're just worried about you, is all." Rhys added.

"Well, don't." The older elf huffed, softening his tone slightly. "I know you two care but I can manage getting around the town fine. Besides my leg isn't hurting that badly today."

 

"If you're sure." Rhys mumbled, stuffing a bite of eggs into his mouth.

"While I'm gone, I got a job for you two."

"What kind of job?" Aerin inquired.

"When you get done with tending to the farm, I want you two to get started on cleaning out the attic." Orin ordered. "There's too much junk up there and it's time to clear it out."

"Yes sir." Both of the younger elves replied in unison.

******************************************************

About an hour and a half after breakfast had ended, Orin set off to the Damerel, leaving his daughter and adopted son to tend to the farm and eventually the attic.

Of coarse before that could be done, the animals needed tending to, first.

Rhys swallowed heavily, trying to ignore the churning of his stomach and the bile which was currently attempting to make it's way up his throat. He held his breath as he dumped the bucket of foul smelling slop and dumped it into the trough for the pigs. "Come and get it!"

A series of grunts and snorts sounded as five fat, muddy pink pigs charged over. They squealed with delight and shoved each other out of the way as they fought to be the first to get to the "food."

"Hey, hey! Relax, there's enough for everyone." Rhys scolded the pigs. They settled down and lined up in a row next to each other and began their feast. Rhys rolled his eyes in amusement and patted one of the pigs on the back as he picked up his bucket and left.

After walking a short pace he came upon the chicken coop. Aerin stood in the middle of it, surrounded by the squawking birds. In one hand she held up her apron which was filled with chicken feed. Using her free hand she spread it on the ground for the birds who happily squawked their thanks and then pecked at the ground.

"Why is it that you do just fine with those birds but whenever it's my turn to feed them, they always attack me?" Rhys asked, leaning against the rails of the fence which housed the chickens.

"Simple." Aerin said, shaking out her apron and letting the rest of the feed fall to the ground. "They like me better."

"Ha ha." Rhys said dryly with a deadpan expression. Aerin giggled and walked out through the gate, making sure to secure it closed as she passed through. "Ready to get started on the attic?"

"Sure." Rhys nodded.

But before the two of them could return to the house, their attention was drawn elsewhere when they suddenly heard a bunch of yelling.

"Call me that one more time you hoofed freak! I dare ya!"

"Call me a hoofed freak again and you'll be getting a hoof to the face!"

"Bitch!"

"Shrimp!"

"Not again." Aerin sighed, rolling her eyes. Neither she nor Rhys needed to see who was fighting. They already knew.

"Oi! Knock it off you two!" Rhys shouted as two figures appeared in the distance. 

 

One of them a female. He skin pale and her eyes the brightest shade of spring green. Her chocolate colored hair blew slightly in the breeze. However, this girl was not your ordinary maiden. From the waist up, she looked ordinary. But from the waist down, instead of a pair of legs, was the body of a doe. Her fur a dark gray and looking soft to the touch. Her hooves lightly thumping against the ground with her every step.

With the deertar was a man who was remarkably short in stature. Less than four feet in total. His face was full of freckles and his golden eyes and blonde hair rivaled that of the sun. He didn't so much as walk exactly but more or less waddled and his expression was, as per usual, a mixture of annoyance and anger.

"What are you two fighting about now?" Aerin sighed as their friends reached them.

 

"Kendal got mistaken for a child in the market!" the deertaur laughed.

Kendal scowled and gritted his teeth. "I told you to shut up about that, Circe!"

"Make me, shrimp!" Circe taunted, placing her hands on her hips and stomping her left front hoof. The dwarf gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, looking ready to start throwing punches but was stopped when a hand was placed on his shoulder.

 

"Alright, That's enough." Rhys ordered. Kendal huffed in annoyance but his body visably relaxed and he unclenched his fist as Rhys removed his hand from his friend's shoulder.

This was their usual routine. Kendal and Circe egging each other on and either Rhys or Aerin would jump in to break it up.

"So do you guys wanna head down to The Third Lady and get a drink?" Circe asked, referring to Damerel's local tavern. 

Rhys shook his head. "Sorry, we cant."

"Papa wants us to clean out the attic today before he gets back." Aerin explained.

Circe pouted, her soft, furry, deer ears lowering in disappointment. "Boo."

Kendal shrugged. "Ah well. Better luck next time." he said and turned on his heel, beginning to walk (waddle) away.

Circe's ears suddenly perked back up, getting an idea. "Well, what if we help?" 

Kendal stopped in his tracks and whirled around. "Say what now?"

"Oh no, you two don't have to-" Rhys began.

"Nonsense!" The deertaur exclaimed. "With the four of us working together, surely we can get it cleaned in no time. Then you two are free to do whatever you want!"

"She does have a point." Aerin said to her brother, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well...." Rhys trailed off. "If youre certain."

Kendal let out a frustrated groan. It was his first day off from working in his family's black-smith business in a long time. Even if it was to help his friends, he really didn't want to spend it cleaning. 

On the other hand, he'd rather do that than spend the entire afternoon alone with that damn deer.

"Whatever." he grumbled trudging back over to the other three. "Lets just get this over with!"

.......................................................

Rhys coughed as he lifted the door to the attic and was hit in the face with a cloud of dust. His eyes stung and his nose and throat tickled as he struggled to breath. Crawling into the attic he took a moment to look around. Piles upon piles of junk was scattered around the room. Boxes of all sizes. Books stacked in piles that nearly reached the ceiling. A suit of armor in the corner. 

Rhys stopped, turning his attention to the metal uniform dumped in a corner in the far side of the attic. 

"How did that get there?" Rhys thought, but was interrupted as the others came in. He turned around just in time to see Aerin bend down, grab Circe by the hands and help her up the ladder.

"Move your furry ass out of my face!" Kendal shouted, shoving Circe up the ladder from behind. 

"Quick rushing me!" she snapped. "Do you realize how awkward it is climbing this thing with four feet?" Aerin pulled her into the attic.

"Not as awkward as having a tail in your face." Kendal huffed, climbing in at last. He opened his mouth to continue his ranting but stopped as he too, noticed the armor in the corner. "Is that a knight's armor?"

 

"Yes, but how did it get there?" Rhys said, echoing his previous thoughts aloud as he went over and picked up the helmet. Through the dust and grime and dim light, he could just barely make out his reflection.

 

"Maybe Orin bought it?" Circe suggested, her ears twitching.

"For what?" the dwarf asked. Circe could only shrug in response, not knowing what Orin would want with the suit either.

 

"We're wasting time." Aerin reminded them. "We can ask Papa about it later."

"Right, so what do we do exactly?" Kendal asked.

 

Rhys sat the helmet back down. "Go through the boxes, set aside whatever is suitable to be donated and throw out the rest."

............................................................................

 

For the next two and a half hours the four of them worked their way through the boxes; Rhys and Aerin advising their two friends what to donate and what to keep. 

 

As Rhys numbly worked on sorting the contents of a box which held his and Aerin's old clothes -which they had both long since outgrown- he found his mind beginning to wander. Drifting back to thoughts of his past as he looked through the items which brought back memories.

For the most part, the elf had had a pretty normal, if somewhat dull life with mysterious origins. According to Orin, when Rhys was an infant, he had been abandoned by his parents and was left on the doorstep. When Orin opened the door the following morning, he was shocked, to say the least, to find a baby boy laying at his feet. No note. No footprints. Nothing but the clothes on his back and the blanket he was wrapped in. Instead of taking the abandoned baby to the orphanagr, Orin instead took him in and raised him like his own.

 

Rhys held a great deal of respect for Orin because of that. Though his caregiver had grown a tad grumpy with age, Rhys was still greatful to him for raising him and he saw the older elf as a father figure.

 

Despite this though, there was a part of Rhys that always wondered about his birth parents. What were they like? What happened to them?

 

Why did they give him up?

Rhys shook his head, snapping out of those thoughts. Those questions had no answers and it always upset him to dwell on them for too long. He tossed a pair of his old trousers into the donation box.

 

"How much longer?" Kendal piped up, wiping the sweat off his brow with his sleeve.

 

"Only a few more boxes to go." Aerin chirped. 

 

"Bout time." Kendal grumbled and returned to pushing a rather large box of keepsakes back to its spot against the wall. Considering the short man's great stuggle to push it, it must have been pretty heavy.

 

Rhys and the girls kept their mouths shut. They knew better than to ask the dwarf if he needed help moving the box. Kendal has always been sensitive about his height and had a temper to match it. He was prone to an outburst whenever anyone commented on it or even remotely insinuated it. ("What?! You think just because I'm short, I can't move a damn box?! I'm gonna kick your ass!" )

 

Despite his temper though, Rhys couldn't have asked for a better friend than Kendal. In fact, he was the first friend that Rhys ever made.

 

Back when he was seven and Aerin was nine, the two of them and Orin had gone to the market to do some shopping. Unfortunately, Rhys had gotten distracted by some street performers. (He was blown away by the contortionist who had twisted her body all the way backward so that her head came out between her legs, and laughed at the juggler who had managed to juggle three colorful balls, a pie, someone's shoe and even a cat!) Unfortunately, by the time Rhys looked back, Aerin and Orin were both long gone.

Terrified and alone, he did the only thing he could think of: Cry.

 

Unfortunately still, the crying caught the attention of some older kids. (About ten, maybe eleven at the most) They taunted and teased the already miserable child and when Rhys tried to get away, he was suddenly grabbed by the leader of the gang, an ugly looking troll. Just as Rhys was preparing for the attack, his savior arrived in the form of a small, young blonde boy. 

The short blonde threatened the other three to release Rhys, which caused them all to laugh. The next thing Rhys knew, the boy took a leap and tackled the troll boy that had grabbed him. Rhys could only watch in amazement as, despite being outnumbered, the boy moved at incredible speed and managed to land punches and blows and kicks to the bullies before they were sent off running.

Once the bullies were gone, the blonde asked the still shaken Rhys if he was alright, introduced himself as Kendal and then the two of them went to his family's blacksmith shop. Kendal's mother brought them some home made cookies (Kendal and his family lived above the shop) which they ate as they waited there till Orin found them about an hour later. 

Rhys and Kendal have been inseparable ever since.

 

With a mighty heave, Kendal pushed against the heavy box with all his might and sent it sliding back the last few feet. It hit the wall with a thud but also swiped the sides of the stack of boxes next to it. The small tower of boxes swayed and staggered and Kendal barely had time to jump out of the way as they all came crashing down.

"Nice going Kendal!" Circe snapped.

"It was an accident!!"

"Well we had to unpack those anyway." Rhys sighed. He tossed the last of the children's clothes into the donation pile and then walked over to the toppled over boxes. The four of them began to sort through the contents of the overturned boxes but Rhys stopped as his fingers curled around some soft, familiar fabric. "Well I'll be..."

"What?" Kendal asked as all eyes fell onto him.

"Its my old baby blanket." Rhys exclaimed as he picked up the blanket. It was small and the original blue color had long since faded and the edges were frayed.

 

"Looks more like a rag to me." Kendal sneered.

 

"Well this is nearly twenty years old." Rhys said looking down at the blanket. The very same one he had been wrapped in when he was left on the doorstep. Once again forcing those thoughts to the back of his mind, Rhys grabbed at the edges of the blanket to properly fold it.

 

A small plink! caught everyone's attention and they all looked down.

 

Sitting at Rhys' feet was a shiny golden ring. The golden band sparkled in what little sunlight was twinkling through the attic window and the center morphed into an oval shape. Two, beautiful sapphire jewels sat in the center.

 

"What the...?" Rhys murmured as he picked up the ring.

"What is it?" Circe asked.

"It's a ring, dumbass." Kendal huffed.

"I know that! I meant, how did it get here?" 

"What is it doing in your blanket?" Aerin asked.

"I.....I don't know. " Rhys answered, turning the ring over in his hands. He noticed something on the inside of the ring. "Hey! There's something written inside of it!"

Holding the ring up to the light and squinting, he could just barely make out the words "Thallon III."

 

"Who's Thallon III?" Circe asked tilting her head.

 

"No clue." Rhys answered, though something sounded very oddly familiar about that name.

 

"Why're you all making a big deal out of some crummy ring?" Kendal asked. "It's probably Orin's."

 

"Then why does it have someone else's name written in it?" Aerin pointed out.

 

Kendal shrugged. "Maybe he won it in a bet?"

 

"Papa doesn't gamble." Aerin snipped.

 

Rhys continued to stare at the ring. His doubled reflection in the sapphires staring back at him. Something was off about this ring. Something he couldn't place. Rhys frantically searched his memories. He couldn't explain it but he knew he had seen this ring before.

 

"Something isn't right." Rhys said, mostly to himself. "Orin's not the jewelry wearing type, he wouldn't have this. And even if it was his he would have sold this long ago."

 

"Yeah, you could really use the money." Circe blurted out then immediately clamped her mouth shut. She lowered her ears and glanced down, sheepishly. "Sorry..."

 

"Not to mention the mysterious suit of armor." Rhys continued, ignoring the comment on his family's financial status.

 

Before the discussion could go further, the four heard the door open downstairs and then slam shut.

 

"Im back!" Orin shouted up to them.

 

"We'll be right down Papa!" Aerin shouted back.

 

Rhys clutched the ring in his hand and then tucked it into his pocket. "I'm going to ask him."

"You're making a big deal out of nothing." Kendal grumbled as he followed after Rhys. The two boys climbled down the ladder and Aerin helped Circe climb down as well. (Which was a lot more awkward going down than going up.)

They found Orin in the kitchen unloading the groceries and setting out some of their home grown vegetables and meat for the nights supper.

 

"Well what're you two doing here?" the former red headed elf exclaimed when he spotted Kendal and Circe walking in. 

 

"They're helping us with the attic." Aerin explained.

 

"Speaking of the attic...." Rhys began, trailing off midsentence.

 

"Get on with it boy." Orin snapped, grabbing a sack of apples. "What about the attic?"

 

Rhys reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring. "We found this."

"Orin glanced up but froze when he saw the ring. His eyes grew wide and his face grew several shades paler. The apples slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor, rolling all around the kitchen.

 

"Papa!" Aerin gasped.

 

"Orin?" Rhys asked, stunned by his reaction. Kendal and Circe watched him with mild alarm.

"Wh....Where did you find that?" Orin whispered.

"I told you, it was in the attic, wrapped in my old baby blanket." Rhys repeated. "....Why was it wrapped in my old baby blanket?"

 

Orin remained quite for several moments. He glanced between Rhys and the ring and the others and then back at the ring. He let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand down his tired, wrinkled face.

 

"Everyone, go sit down in the living room. I.....I have something important to tell you. Something I should have told you a long time ago."


	3. Chapter Two: Secrets of the Past

Rhys sat on the wooden floor in the now crowded living room. The mysterious, sapphire ring still clutched tightly in his hand. He glanced around the room. Kendal sat next to him on the floor. His short stumpy legs straight out and his hands flat on the floor. The pose reminded Rhys of the way a toddler would sit. Circe stood off to the side, near the wall with her arms crossed and Aerin sat cross legged on the floor to his left. All four sets of eyes trained on the well worn red chair in which Orin sat, waiting for him to begin.

 

The aged elf however, didn't seem eager to share his story. His magenta colored eyes stared down at the floor, deep in thought. Rhys bit his lip, the anxiety of waiting beginning to eat at him. The room was completely silent, save for the occasional chirping from the family of robins which lived in the tree right outside the window.

Rhys shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The awkward and tense silence so thick it was practically tangible.

"Oi! Get on with it already!" Kendal barked, saying what the other three were too polite to say.

"Shut your trap, midget! I'm getting there!" Orin snapped, glaring at the blonde. "I'm trying to get my thoughts organized."

"Just start at the beginning." Circe encouraged.

"Who is Thallon III?" Rhys jumped in, holding up the ring again. His curiosity mounting and he felt himself growing a tad annoyed with Orin's procrastination. What was the big deal?

Orin reached over and snatched the ring out of Rhys' hand. The gold and blue ring rested gently in the older elf's hand. Orin took a shaky breath. 

"Have any of you heard of a place called Kaella?"

There was a beat of silence. They weren't expecting their questions to be answered with another one. Orin continued on before anyone could answer.

"It's the name of a kingdom, far, far away from here. It was a beautiful place. Rolling fields as far as the eye could see. Elves and humans and other creatures living in peace and harmony. Closest thing to paradise you could get..... and Thallon III was the king.....And my best friend."

"You were friends with a king?!" Circe gasped, breaking the silence.

"But....how?" Aerin asked, looking at her father. "You're just a farmer."

 

"Not always." Orin shifted in his seat, his eyes cast down to his lap before he flicked them up to look at Rhys and Aerin. "Before I came here with you two, I used to live in Kaella. I was Captain of the Royal Guard."

"You used to be a knight?!" Aerin gasped this time, her magenta eyes widening.

"Well that explains the suit of armor in the attic." Rhys mumbled to himself.

"Wait a minute!" Kendal interrupted. "Aerin, what're you acting so shocked for? Weren't you there?"

"She was but she was so young when we came here." Orin answered for his daughter.

"I don't remember any of this..." Aerin answered honestly.

"So, how did you end up living here, then?" Circe asked. Her furry ears twitching as she spoke.

Orin's face hardened. He grit his teeth and his grip on the arm of the chair tightened to the point that his knuckles turned white. The other four couldn't help but wince as his magenta eyes suddenly blazed with hatred and fury. "That bastard Sabor betrayed us! Betrayed Thallon!"

"Sabor?" Rhys asked quietly, somewhat timidly.

Orin took a shaky breath to collect himself but his furious expression remained. "He was a friend of mine and Thallon's. He used to work at the castle as Thallon's personal servant boy. Before that he was a street rat, but Thallon took pity on him and convinced his father to give him a job."

"Since the three of us were all around the same age and were the only kids in the castle, we were all just....drawn to each other you know? It wasn't long after Sabor began working at the castle that he had become a member of the gang. But Sabor and Thallon.....Those two had a special bond. The two of them were as close as brothers and were always getting into mischief together. Never saw one of them without the other being far behind."

A silence filled the room. Everyone entranced with the story of the once best friends seemingly turned mortal enemies.

"Why did Sabor betray you?" Rhys whispered.

Orin's bushy mustache twitched and he ran a hand through his beard. "Even though Sabor and Thallon were close, there was a darkness within Sabor that none of us realized was there until it was too late. Thallon considered Sabor like a brother but that didn't mean everyone else did. Thallon, being the prince and all, was always the more favored one of the two. Always the better looking one, always the more talented one. Always the one who was praised and worshipped." The graying redhead drifted off, a slight expression of something......not quite guilt, but something similar, briefly appearing upon his features. "Hell, once I became a knight and eventually captain, even that earned me a bit of attention that Sabor never got."

"Sounds like Sabor needed to suck it up, if ya ask me." Kendal mumbled only to be quickly shushed by Aerin.

 

"But the final straw that tore them apart," Orin began again, ignoring the comment. "Was when Venali came into the picture."

"Venali?" Circe tilted her head.

 

"Thallon's wife." Orin stated. "She was the kindest, gentlest, most beautiful elf I've ever laid my eyes on.....Well, aside from your mother, of coarse, Aerin."

Aerin gave her father a tiny smile at that remark.

 

"Thallon and Venali's marriage was an arranged one." Orin continued. "When the announcement was made, Thallon wasn't too keen on the idea of marrying a stranger and from what I hear, neither was she. But when the two of them finally met....it was love at first sight."

"How romantic." Circe sighed, dreamily.

 

"Barf." Kendal gagged, rolling his eyes, causing Rhys to chuckle in amusement.

 

"However," Orin interrupted, his voice dropping and getting very serious. "Thallon wasn't the only one in love with her....."

A sudden silence spliced the room, the four listeners stunned at this sudden turn of events. The quiet was broken by a soft guess of, "Sabor?" uttered by Rhys.

 

Orin nodded. "He fell for Venali just as fast as Thallon did. And during the time between Venali moving into the castle and the wedding, Sabor and Venali developed a close friendship.....but....on the night before the wedding, Sabor confessed his feelings to her and she rejected him."

"Damn..." Circe muttered.

"I take it he didn't react well?" Rhys asked.

Orin shook his head. "He left right after. Absolutely heartbroken, he was."

"Did Thallon ever find out?" Rhys asked.

Ornin nodded. "He ran into Sabor as he was making his leave. The two of them got into a blowout and Sabor ended up storming off. He never came to the wedding and none of us ever saw him again....until that night."

 

Four sets of eyes flicked towards each other, all of them feeling uneasy.

"A couple of years after they married, Thallon and Venali ended up having a son. They loved that child more than anything. Being a father was Thallon's greatest accomplishment and Venali just glowed everytime she held her baby. Happy little family and all that crap.....but then, a year after the baby was born, Sabor came back. Stronger and more powerful in his magic than ever before." Orin was speaking softer now, his gaze going blank as he disappeard into his mind, back to that night so long ago. "He had an army with him this time. I don't know how he was able to gain control over them. They swarmed the castle and were attacking us before we even realized what had happened."

 

"What about Thallon, Venali and the baby?" Rhys asked, softly.

Orin took on an unreadable expression. His face darkened and his eyes shown a mix of grief, anger.....and was that guilt?

 

"I....I don't know."

 

"You don't know?" said Kendal.

 

"Thallon and Venali.....they couldn't make it out.....they're probably long dead by now if I had to guess." He mumbled, staring off in the distance. A pause filled the room and then he whispered, "The baby survived."

 

"How do you know? Rhys asked.

 

Orin turned and looked at him. Rhys didn't know why but he felt himself freeze as Orin's gaze fixated on him. It was a look as if the older elf could see straight through to his soul.

 

"Because I'm looking at him right now."

 

Silence followed. Rhys turned his head and Aerin, Circe and Kendal were all staring at him. Their eyes slowly beginning to widen as Orin's words registered in their minds.

 

"You......You mean me?" Rhys gasped, pointing as himself in disbelief. Surely this was a misunderstanding. Some type of joke.

 

"Yes." Orin nodded, his voice completely serious. "You are the son of King Thallon and Queen Venali."

 

"But...." Rhys struggled to find his words. He felt like he had suddenly entered into some kind of strange dream. There was no way that any of this could be true. "But if that's true then.....then that means I....th-that I'm...."

 

"A prince?!" Circe gasped, finishing his sentence for him. The soft, velvety fur on the doe part of her body was standing on end. 

A hysterical cackle broke through the air. All heads turning on Kendal who had his arms crossed around his middle and we turning red in the face.

 

"Yeah, that's a real good one, Orin!" the dwarf gasped, wiping a tear from his golden colored eye. "Rhys! A Prince!" 

 

"It's true you annoying little midget!" Orin roared, glaring at the dwarf who instantly silenced his laughter. 

Rhys' head was swimming, struggling to absorb this information. "I...I don't understand. You said that my parents abandoned me!"

"No, they didn't." Orin mumbled. "I only told you that to protect you. Your parents dying wishes were for me to keep you safe." he looked down, guilt overcoming his features. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lie to you all these years.....I was going to tell you one of these days. I....I just....I didn't know how..."

 

Rhys felt ill and he buried his face in his hands. He was a prince...

"You had twenty years to tell me and you never did." he mumbled.

 

Orin flinched at these words. He opened his mouth to speak but Rhys cut him off again.

"If we hadn't had found that ring you were never going to tell me were you?!"

"Rhys, please listen-"

"Why didn't you stay behind and fight?!" Rhys accused, his gray eyes darkening a bit in anger. "Didn't you try to help them?!"

"OF COARSE I DID!" Orin yelled as the words barely finished leaving Rhys mouth. He jumped to his feet and Rhys felt a twinge of regret upon seeing the pain in the older elf's eyes. "They were my friends! I'd rather had died that night than them! They ordered me, begged me to take you! We were severly outnumbered! Escape was our only chance of survival!"

 

Rhys looked down, trying to picture that night in his mind but nothing would come to him. His emotions were a jumbled mess. He was a prince. His parents loved him. Wanted him....died for him.

 

"Rhys?" Aerin's voice pierced through the veil that was Rhys' mixed up mind. He looked up, everyone was watching him in concern and worry. 

He felt hot. Why was it so hot in this room? He felt as if the walls were beginning to close in. His hands would not stop trembling. His head felt heavy. He needed air.

 

"I need a moment." He mumbled as he sprang to his feet.

"Rhys!" Aerin called after him, reaching her hand out to him.

The slamming door was her only response.

**********************************************

The stars twinkled overhead. An owl hooted softly in the distance. The family of robins living in the tree beside the living room window had fallen silent as they drifted off to sleep, safe and snug in their nest.

Rhys forced himself to take a deep breath of fresh air in a vain attempt to clear his muddled head. He hugged his knees closer and looked up at the full, white moon which was shining down on him from above. 

 

After storming out of the living room, he retreated back up to his bedroom and threw open the window. He then climbed out of the window and onto the roof and had remained their ever since. His mind continuously circling back to one repeating thought.

A prince.

He. A simple farm boy. He was a prince.

He buried his hand in his red-brown colored hair. He squeezed his eyes tight and concentrated as hard as he could. Trying to conjure his parents face's in his mind. Trying to remember....anything about that them...about that night.

All that came to him was a flash of green light.....the faintest sound of a scream....

"Rhys?"

 

The elf jerked, startled from his thoughts and he gripped the roof to keep from sliding off. Looking over he saw Aerin's head poking up from the edge of the roof. Her body half in and half out of the window.

 

"What are you doing?" Rhys asked, carefully scooting over and grabbing her hands, helping her onto the roof next to him.

 

"I came to see if you're okay." Aerin answered, sitting down. "You've been out here for hours."

 

"I've got a lot on my mind."

"That's an understatement."

 

The two fell into silence. Both of them looking up at the night sky and struggling to find their words.

 

"So.....a prince huh?" Aerin finally asked.

 

"I still cant believe it." Rhys sighed. "I feel like.....I don't know.....like I'm in a dream or something and it'll all be over when I wake up."

 

Aerin could only nod. What could she say?

 

"....What did Kendal and Circe say?"

 

"They're worried about you." Circe answered. "We all are."

 

"I'm fine."

 

"No you're not."

 

"Well I just found out that my entire life has been a lie. How exactly am I supposed to react?" he snapped.

 

"....I don't know." Aerin said after a pause. "But please don't be mad at Papa. He didn't want to hurt you."

 

Rhys sighed. "I know. I'm not mad at him. I just.....I'm confused....For my whole life I always imagined what my parents were like....I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined them to be royalty."

 

Another silence fell between the two. Both of them lost in their thoughts before Aerin broke it.

"So.....what happens now?"


	4. Chapter Three: Bar Fights and Revelations

Rhys slept fitfully that night, drifting in and out of sleep. When he did sleep, he was haunted in his dreams by images of that sickly green light and the screams of who he now knew was his mother. His brain conjuring up images of a younger Orin running for his life with him and Aerin in his arms. 

 

Stormy eyes snapped open again and the elf sighed, emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted. It was still dark out but it was beginning to lighten up. It would be morning soon.

 

Rhys sighed and kicked the covers off. No point in trying to sleep anymore. But instead of getting out of bed, he sat up, holding his head in his hands. 

 

He was a prince.

No matter how many times those four little words ran through his mind, he still couldn't comprehend their meaning. They felt foreign. Odd...Wrong.

 

It was hard to think of one as a prince when they were currently sitting on a straw stuffed mattress and fed pigs for a living.

 

The cycle of royalty related thoughts momentarily stopped as Rhys noticed how dry his throat felt. As carefully as he could, he crept out of his room and down the stairs, careful to not wake Aerin and Orin.

 

Much to Rhys' surprise, a light was coming from the kitchen. He rounded the corner and poked his head through the doorway. "Orin?"

 

The old elf jumped, snapping out of his thoughts and he looked up at Rhys in surprise. His whiskered face aglow in the light of the candle which sat in the middle of the table. King Thallon's ring nestled in Orin's hands, held by his thumbs and pointer fingers. The Sapphire gems slightly sparkling in the candlelight.

 

"Rhys..." Orin said weakly. "I....I thought you were sleeping."

 

Rhys shrugged. "Couldn't sleep....to much on my mind."

 

An awkward silence hung in the air between the two. So much needing to be said but neither of them knowing here to start.

 

Orin was the one to break the silence with a sigh. He lifted up his good leg and kicked the empty chair out. "Have a seat, boy."

 

Rhys walked over and sat down across from his caregiver.

 

Orin took a moment to collect his thoughts. "I know you're mad at me.... And I understand. I should have told you a long time ago. I just.....I was scared."

 

Rhys blinked, raising his eyebrows slightly. "Scared?"

 

"Yes, scared!" Orin snapped. "I was scared of how you'd react. Scared of what would happen to you if word got out that you're the prince and you survived."

 

"Who would I have told though?" Rhys pointed out. "I only really have Kendal and Circe."

 

"Big news like this always has a way of coming out into the open one way or another. No matter how hard you try not too let that happen." He looked down at ring again. "Case in point...."

Rhys remained quiet but he had to admit that Orin had a point there. 

 

"I never wanted to hurt you by keeping this secret from you." Orin continued on, looking up at the younger elf again. "I was trying to keep you safe. Keep us all safe. I did want to tell you though. So many times I wanted to tell you...."

 

Rhys bit his lip, a sudden wave of sympathy washing over him and for the first time he realized just how big of a task was unexpectedly placed upon Orin's shoulders that night. Just how truly hard it must have been for him to raise two children all alone. Constantly living in fear of Sabor or his army coming for them.

 

"I....I understand." Rhys finally whispered. "And I'm sorry for getting angry."

 

Orin waved the apology off dismissively but Rhys noticed the sagging of relief of his shoulders. "Don't worry about it. You had every right to be. Just forget it."

 

Rhys nodded and then, after a moment of silence, asked a question before he even fully realized it was coming out. "What were they like?"

 

"Who?"

 

"My....My parents."

 

Orin leaned back in his chair and he turned his gaze to the ceiling, getting lost in thought. "Back when we were younger, your father was quite the troublemaker."

A crooked smile pulled at Rhys lips and he let out a little laugh. "Really?"

"Oh yeah. Used to drive your grandparents crazy. He was always sneaking out of the palace and blowing off his lessons. But he straightened up as he grew older. And when he became king, he took his title very seriously. The people used to say that he was the best king that Kaella ever had."

"And my mother?" Rhys asked eagerly.

 

"She was a real sweetheart." Orin replied as he cracked an amused smirk. "But she knew how to stand her ground. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind and call out people on their shit."

Rhys chuckled at that.

"And when you were born...I've never seen them happier than they were that day." Orin said softly. "You were their whole world, Rhys."

Rhys suddenly felt his throat grow tight and he struggled to swallow. He felt a sense of.....longing. A desperate need to see his parents. To be face to face with the people who had given him life. Who gave up everything for him...

 

And then he remembered that he would never get that chance and he felt his heart sink.

How can you miss someone you've never even met?

 

"You look like them." Orin said jarring Rhys out of his thoughts. "Mostly like your dad but you have your mother's face."

Rhys could only nod, trying to imagine what his parents might have looked like in his mind.

 

Orin glanced down at the ring again, stared at it for a moment and then reached out, holding it out to Rhys. "Here. Your father wanted you to have it."

"H-He did?" Rhys whispered, taking the ring into his own hand.

Orin nodded. "He gave it to me on the night of the attack. He said to give it to you, once the time is right....Guess the time is right now seeing as you found it." He added with a weak laugh.

Rhys forced a smile back, and looked down at the ring. "Do.....Do you miss them?"

 

"Every day of my life." Orin sighed. "They were like family to me."

Rhys nodded but then a new thought occurred to him. "Is....Is that why you never let me call you 'Dad'?"

Orin nodded his head once. "I know I raised you since you were one. And....I do see you like a son, Rhys.....But it just.....it didn't feel right, having you call me that. It felt like I was, like, stealing the title of 'father' from Thallon or something."

Rhys nodded once. "I understand.....For what it's worth though, I consider you like a father too."

For a moment, just a moment, Orin's usual stony expression softened and Rhys could have sworn he saw a smile.

"Don't get mushy on me." Orin grumbled standing up from the chair. "Now put that ring up and go get changed. Might as well get an early start on the chores since were both up.

Rhys smiled and clutched the ring tighter in his hand. Orin wouldn't admit it, but Rhys knew he was touched by the comment. "Yes sir."

********************************************************  
"I still cant believe you're really a prince!"

"Will you shut up?!" Aerin hissed at Circe. It was later that day and the gang had met up at their favorite hangout, The Third Lady. It was a little tavern smack dab in the middle of Damerel that was owned and run by a human father and son duo. It was quite the local hot spot, almost always packed to the brim and was famous for it's good food, good drinks and good service.

 

"Should we really be talking about this in a public place?" Rhys asked nervously, glancing around at the fellow patrons.

"Relax will ya?" Kendal waved a dismissive hand. "The place is crowded, the music's loud and we're way in the back. Nobody'll hear."

 

"Still." Rhys murmed, feeling uneasy.

"So what happened to the ring?" Circe dared to ask as she took a sip of her water.

Rhys suddenly felt his pocket become heavier with the weight it was carrying, hiding the precious jewelry from the public view. "Pocket." Rhys mumbled.

"Why did you even bring that thing?" Aerin sneered, giving her brother a disbelieving look.

Rhys couldn't explain himself. He had meant to hide the ring somewhere in his room. To put it somewhere safe where it wouldn't get lost but as he went to place the ring underneath the floorboard under his bed, he stopped. This was the only thing he had left that tied him to his parents. 

 

He knew he was being silly and it was a greater risk of the ring getting lost or damaged by carrying it around....but he couldn't bring himself to just leave it there. He wanted it near him. He shrugged in answer to Aerin's question and glanced away, taking a sip of his ale to avoid her condescending gaze.

"So.....How're ya holding up?" Kendal asked quietly, diverting the conversation off of the ring.

 

Once again, Rhys could only shrug in response. He honestly couldn't tell how he felt. He paused for a moment to try to find the words but was interrupted as their food arrived.

"Heya guys!"

"Hi Thomas." the four greeted in unison as the bartender walked over. He had shaggy tomato red hair and a matching goatee. His blue eyes rivaled that of the sky and was dressed in mostly greens and browns. The gang, being usual patrons at The Third Lady, they have come to be on pretty good terms with the young tavern owner.

 

Thomas walked over and shifted the heavy tray he was holding, balancing it on one hand and he handed out the plates of food with the other. "Alright beef and potatoes for Rhys, ham for Kendal, rice and fish for Aerin and a mix of veggies for you Circe."

 

The group chorused a 'Thanks' and quickly returned to their whispered conversation once Thomas had left to check on the other customers. "I'm still trying to process everything." Rhys answered.

"That's really amazing though, you have to admit." Circe said, stuffing a forkful of steamed carrots and broccoli in her mouth. "Being royalty and all." 

"I sure don't feel like a prince." Rhys mumbled, cutting open his baked potato.

"Shall we refer to you as 'Your Majesty', from now on?" Kendal snickered, his mouth full of ham.

 

Rhys shot him a dark look but quickly dropped it, now looking more tired than anything. "Just.... call me by my name like you always have.....I don't want this to change anything between us."

Kendal quickly swallowed the ham. "Why would it change anything?"

"You're still our friend." Circe added affirmatively. "Prince or not, that's never gonna change."

"....You mean that?" Rhys asked softly, almost timidly. "You don't think any differently of me?"

"Why would we think that?" Aerin asked looking at him in surprise.

Rhys shrugged. "I don't know." He answered. "I'm just...afraid you three are going to start treating me differently or something."

"We're not." Aerin said firmly.

"We're all shocked and it's going to take a bit for everything to set in but we're not going to see or treat you any different than how we normally do." Circe promised.

"Yeah. You might be royalty now, but you're still the same, goody two-shoes bloke you've always been!" Kendal declared, nudging his best friend in the side.

Rhys felt his muscles relax, not having noticed that they were tense to begin with. He looked around at the smiling faces of his two best friends and his sister and he couldn't help but return the gesture. They were right. He knew they were right. Nothing was going to change. "Thank you, guys."

 

"Anytime." Kendal answered for the group and the four of them returned to their meals.

 

"So...." Aerin finally spoke up after a moment of silence. She bit her lip and looked hesitant.

"What's the matter Aerin?" Rhys asked.

 

"Nothing." she responded quickly. "It's just.....what are you going to....well....do."

 

"Do?" Rhys raised an eyebrow, confusion showing on his face. "What do you mean 'do'?"

 

"Well it's just, Sabor is still in control of Kaella...." Aerin trailed off and looked down at her plate, suddenly finding a great interest in moving her rice around on her plate with her fork.

 

Rhys felt his stomach do a flip at the mention of the name of the man who had taken everything from him. His mouth went dry and he got very quiet, his appetite suddenly leaving him.

"So?" Kendal scoffed, all eyes turning on him. "I mean, it's not like we can actually do anything about it. The man's a freaking wizard! He has magic! Dark magic and probably henchmen or something! What's Rhys supposed to do? Go to Kaella and ask for the throne back?!"

"Keep your voice down!" Circe warned casting a glance at the tables around them but nobody was looking in their direction.

"Of coarse not!" Aerin hissed. "It's just.....I don't know.....it's not right him still being in control like that! It's not his kingdom to rule!"

 

"Kendal's right though." Rhys mumbled and three sets of eyes whirled to him. "I'm just a farmboy. I cant do anything about Sabor now.....as much as I want too." 

 

Aerin shut her mouth, her magenta eyes softening and she once again looked down at her plate, regretting asking the question at all.

 

"I'm gonna go get us some refills." Circe spoke up, reaching across the table and grabbing the mugs, two per each hand, and then trotted up to the bar towards the redheaded human. Grateful to get away from the awkward conversation.

 

"There's nothing we can do about this." Rhys finally said firmly. "I now know who my parents are.....were.....b-but that's the only thing that's changed. Nothing else. Besides, I'm still in hiding and frankly I don't want to talk about this anymore." His voice began to waver slightly. "You're right Aerin, it's not fair that he's still in power but there's nothing we can do. It's too late to help my parents now so....s-so please can we just change the subject."

Aerin and Kendal looked uneasily at the elf and Rhys averted his gaze. He felt his throat closing up and his hands trembled slightly. Kendal was right. There was nothing they could do to change anything. He still needed to keep his true heritage a secret. There was nothing he could do to bring his parents back so what was the use in getting upset? This was a twenty year old issue of the past. 

"I'm sorry." Aerin whispered, snapping Rhys out of his thoughts. "I-I didn't mean to make you upset. I wasn't thinking about the hiding thing..."

"It's okay." Rhys sighed. "I'm fine. Really."

"You sure?" Kendal asked in a tone that clearly said that he knew that his friend was anything but fine.

"Yes." Rhys lied. "Now, no more talk of this." 

"Alright..." Kendal sighed and Aerin nodded her head once. The three fell into a silence as they returned to their meals, waiting for Circe to return.

CRASH!

The sound of breaking glass and a startled squeal brought the noisy tavern to a sudden halt. Every head whipped around and every eye fell upon Circe who was now standing in the middle of the bar, broken glass and spilled drinks at her hooves and her tunic drenched. Next to her was a particularly large, scary looking elf. As large as a small barge and practically all muscle. His greasy dark hair was unkempt and his mean, beady eyes glared down at the deertaur who cowered slightly under his gaze.

"Watch where you're going, Halfling!" he growled.

 

Circe flinched at the hurtful, hateful slur as if she had been slapped. Despite the tremble in her voice and the slight fear in her eyes, she forced herself to remain standing where she was. Straightening her posture and screwing up her face, she forced herself to meet the much large male's gaze. 

"Excuse you, you're the one who knocked into me!" she shot back.

The giant of an elf made a rumbling noise in the back of his throat. The beady eyes practically burning holes in Circe's head. "Then you shouldn't have been in my way, Halfling!" he snarled, putting special emphasis on the name.

"Stop calling me that!" the deertaur demanded, all too aware that all eyes were on her. She struggled to keep herself from shaking. Whether from fear or anger? She wasn't sure. "Just because I'm half deer doesn't mean I don't have feelings! I have a right to be here just like you!"

 

The elf scoffed. "Halflings like you shouldn't have any rights. You lot are nothing but a bunch of dumb animals!"

 

Circe's ears laid flat against her head and she felt her fur begin to stand on end, her anger reaching new heights. "Oh yeah? Could some dumb animal do this?!"

The elf yowled in pain and jumped back as Circe slammed her front hoof down hard on his foot. Circe grinned, proud of herself but she immediately regretted her choice as the stranger snarled at her, recovering from the pain and took a step closer to her. He somehow seemed to grow even larger. Circe took several steps back but was stopped as her rear hit the wall. Her body was trembling again and she squeezed her eyes shut as the massive elf cornered her, reaching his big, meaty hands towards her. 

"You little bitch!"

 

"HEY!"

The giant elf turned just as Kendal slammed his fork down onto the table and hopped out of his chair, ignoring Aerin and Rhys' hisses of warnings. "What do you want, runt?" he rumbled. 

"I want you to leave her alone!" Kendal snarled, straightening his posture to his full 3 feet and eleven inches of height. 

 

The greasy haired thug smirked in amusement, revealing two rows of rotten looking teeth. He turned away fully from Circe and lumbered over to Kendal, who barely even reached his knees. "Oh yeah? Are you going to make me~?"

Kendal's golden eyes flared with fury and he clenched his slightly pudgy fist. Rhys and the others could only watch helplessly as Kendal, in the blink of an eye, reeled back his fist and jammed it into his much larger opponets gut. The elf wheezed as the air was knocked out of him and stumbled back, caught off guard by the sudden blow. 

 

"Yeah I am now leave her alone!! I'm the only one allowed to pick on her!"

"Kendal! Quit it!" Circe cired, but she knew it was too late.

The giant of an elf regained the use of his lungs and glared down at the dwarf. Kendal reeled back, preparing for another punch but was stopped as a large, beefy hand clamped down ontop of his lead and lifted him off the ground. "PUT ME DOWN! GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME YOU WALKING PILE OF DOG SHI-"

 

But he was cut off as a massive fist jammed into his face and Kendal flew backwards across the bar and landed on an empty table. The table flipped over and both it and the dwarf landed on the ground in a series of thuds that were partially drowned out by the shocked gasps, screams and jeering of The Third Lady patrons.

"Kendal!!" Aerin gasped, her hands flying over her mouth.

 

The blonde lifted his head which wobbled slightly looking dazed. His face already beginning to turn purple and black from bruises and a trickle of blood oozed out of his right nostril.

The massive, greasy haired elf threw back his tiny head and cackled madly. "That's what you get for being friends with a Halfling and picking fights you know you cant win, runt!"

 

Kendal shook his head, forcing his mind to clear. He glared dangerously at the elf and his face flushed scarlet with rage. He jumped to his feet and let out an angry battle cry but before he could go in for round two, he snatched off the ground for a second time.

"Kendal, THATS ENOUGH!" Rhys scolded, lifting his pint sized friend up under the armpits and holding him firmly at arms length. 

 

"LET ME GO! I'M NOT FINISHED WITH THIS SON OF WHORE!" Kendal shrieked, kicking and flailing in Rhys' grasp, looking strangely similar to a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. " I CAN TAKE HIM! GIVE ME A CHANCE!!!" 

 

"Stop." Rhys said firmly, tucking the blonde under his arm and holding him there tightly. "Circe, Aerin come on. We better go."

 

"Good riddance!" The monster of an elf called after them. "Your kind isn't wanted around here!"

The four ignored him and Rhys used his free hand to fish inside his pocket, tossing some coins onto their table and he and the girls left. Kendal thrashed, yelled obscenities, and made several rude hand gestures at the elf as he was carried out the door, still tucked firmly under Rhys arm.

 

*********************************************

 

After the gang left, the tavern quieted down. The knocked over table was turned back to it's properly standing position and the broken glass and spilled drinks were cleaned up. The customers returning to their food, drinks and pervious conversations they were having before the fight had broken out.

 

Nobody noticed the man sitting in the corner of the tavern, partially hidden within the shadows.

He had sat and stared into his drink as Rhys, Aerin, Kendal and Circe sat a few tables away from him. Despite their hushed voices and the noises of clinking glasses, jovial laughter and the music from the band on the small stage, he could still hear every word of the whispered and muttered conversation the four were having, thanks to his super enhanced hearing.

He did not join in on the jeering when the dwarf had picked the fight with the ugly giant sized elf. Instead he sat in his corner in the shadows, calmly listening. Watching....

He had watched as the chestnut haired elf rummaged in his pocket for money to pay the bill as he and his friends made their hasty retreat. His sky blue eyes catching sight of the glint of sapphire as the young elf quickly tossed the money onto the table and hurriedly stuffed the ring back into his pocket before making his retreat.

 

Once the ruckus had settled down and the customers returned to their own meals and company, the fight all but forgotten, the blue eyed man finished the last dregs of his drink before calmly standing up, placing a coin on the table and he silently left the tavern. Nobody taking notice.

 

He had walked a short distance away from the tavern, through the busy streets of the town and made it to the woods. He kept walking until he came to a lake. He stopped and looked left, right and behind him to make sure no one had followed and that there were no passerbys.

 

Once he was absolutely certain he was alone, he lowered the hood of his cloak.

A pair of orange fluffy pointed ears resembling a fox's sprung up from his head. At the same time, eight fluffy fox tails billowed out from his backside and under his cloak. He shook out the tails and twitched his ears. 

He hated having to hide them.

He reached a pale, freckled hand down the collar of his shirt and produced a deep scarlet red gem shard attached to a string which was tied around his neck. He clutched the gem in his hand and he felt it pulsate as it began to glow.

 

He opened his mouth and muttered a single word. 

"Kaella."

He clutched his hand around the gem and felt a force pulling him forward. There was a flash of light and inn an instant he was gone. The woods completely silent save for the babbling of the water and the tweeting of birds.

***********************************************************

 

"Come on ya mangy mutt! Gimme all ya got!"

 

The giant wolf snarled and growled, his blood red eyes glaring down at the green skinned troll who stood before him. The troll grinned a wicked grin, blowing a strand of blue hair out of his face and he clutched the sharp looking axe in both his hands. The brown wolf growled louder and let out a gleeful howl before he swiped a massive paw at the troll.

The green creature lept out of the way and swung his axe at the wolf. The wolf ducked and pounced, leaping at the troll who also dodged the attack. Again and again the two did this strange sort of dance. The troll swung again, narrowly missing the wolf's whiskers as it ducked but the wolf was prepared this time. With a quick turn of the head, the giant canine clamped his jaws around the handle of the axe, snapping it in two like it was nothing more than a twig.

 

"HEY!" The troll cried out in dismay. "That was my best axe you bastard!"

 

The wolf grinned revealing his sharp teeth and made a growling noise that sounded suspisciously like a laugh. Suddenly, the wolf began to glow. His massive form shrinking and changing. Thick brown fur being replaced with skin, paws turning into hands and feet and he went from standing on four legs to two. As the glow died away, the wolf was no longer there. Instead, standing in place was a man. His shaggy, slightly long hair the same shade of brown the wolfs fur had been. His skin tan and a large scar, like claw marks marred right side of his face. His scarlet eyes seemed to dance with glee at the trolls distress and he turned his head, spitting out the splintered pieces of wood. 

 

"Oh how tragic for you, Cayne." the werewolf taunted, grinning from ear to ear.

 

Cayne scowled up at the werewolf. "Axe or no axe I can still kick your ass, Kragen!"

 

"Is that a challenge?" Kragen purred.

 

"It's a fact!" Caybe declared, grinning widely and clenching his fists, preparing to begin throwing punches.

But before the fight could start anew, the two were interrupted as the door opened and a figure came strolling down the steps. Were it not for her snow white hair and her scarlet outfit, she would have blended perfectly into the shadows completely.

 

"Are you two idiots done?" the woman in red snapped. 

 

"You want a turn, Nessa?" Kragen asked, smirking at his team mate.

"Not unless you want more scars to go with those." Nessa replied, gesturing to the scratch marks on the werewolf's face. He chuckled but before he could say anything else, she turned to the two males and narrowed her golden eyes. "Where's Natada?"

 

"Haven't seen him since this morning." Cayne replied, sticking a finger in his ear and wriggling it around, flicking away the wax.

 

Kragen shrugged in response. "You know how he likes to go off on his own."

 

Nessa opened her mouth to respond but before she could get out a word, a flash of light appeared to the groups left. A moment later the kitsune appeared.

 

"And just where have you been?" Nessa demanded. 

 

"Out." Natada responded dismissively. "Listen, where's the boss? I have something important to tell him!"

 

"Tell me what?"

 

The voice was like velvet. Smooth and silky. But with an underlying layer of venom. A snake awaiting in the grass for it's victim. The group of four whirled around and spotted Sabor standing atop the stairs. His black eyes watching them and his hands clutching the railing.

 

"My King." Natada addressed and dropped down to his knee, his eight tails dragging along the stone floor. "I have discovered some.......rather interesting news."

 

"Go on." Sabor ordered, black eyes trained on the kitsune.

 

Natada rose to his feet and looked up at the dark elf. "I was in Damerel today sire-"

"What were you doing in Damerel?" Kragen asked.

Natada shot him a look. "Reasons." was all he said in response before turning his head and looking back up at Sabor. "And when I was at the local tavern I overheard something."

Sabor said nothing but nodded his head slightly to urge the fox man to continue.

 

"At the table across from me, there was some people. Two elves, a deertaur and a dwarf actually-"

 

"Get to the point!" Cayne snapped, looking bored and restless.

 

"Patience Cayne." Sabor purred. "Go on Natada. What about these four?"

 

"I overheard them talking." the kitsune went on. "They...They were talking quietly like they didn't want anyone to hear. But they kept saying that one of them was a prince."

 

Sabor raised one dark eyebrow in mild interest. "A prince you say? Prince of where?"

 

"Here, my King."

 

A sudden silence decended upon the room. Sabor felt his breath hitch in his throat and his black eyes widen. "What did you say?" he whispered.

 

"Well," Natada began. "From how they were talking it seemed like one of them had recently found out that he was a prince from Kaella."

 

Before Sabor could respond, a mad cackling erupted in the room. Everyone whirled around and looked at Cayne who was clutching his sides and laughing like a mad man.

"Yeah right! You just happened to find the long lost prince of Kaella in a bar!" He erupted into another cackling fit before forcing out, "That little brat died with his parents nearly twenty years ago! Right Nessa?"

 

Nessa said nothing. Her expression was neutral but the others noted the slight widening of her eyes.

 

"R-Right, Nessa?" Cayne's laughter died down and all eyes were upon the ebony skinned female.

 

"Natada." Sabor said in a tight voice, bringing the group's attention back on himself. His black eyes narrowed and his grip on the stair case railing tightened. "Tell me....what did this alleged prince look like?"

 

Natada paused before answering, conjuring up the image of the elf in his mind. "He was kinda tall.....Long, reddish brown hair.....gray eyes.....he looked like he'd be close to about twenty-"

 

A large blast of electric green fire shot down from the staircase and hurled itself toward the group. Cayne let out a startled yelp and all four members of the little group lept out of the way as the fireball crashed to the ground and disappeared.

 

"HE'S STILL ALIVE?!!!"

 

"He must have escaped with that guard!" Nessa exclaimed in realization.

 

Sabor gritted his teeth and stormed down the stairs, his long cape dragging on the ground behind him and his heeled boots emitting a sickening thud with each stomp. "And none of you idiots STOPPED THEM!?"

"I captured the queen!" Nessa snapped in defense. "There were three of us plus the other soldiers! Excuse me for thinking of these other imbeciles could have taken on a baby!"

Sabor whirled around and glared at the other three, silently demanding an explanation.

"Hey! Don't get pissy with me!" Cayne exclaimed. "I was taking care of the wizard!....My king." He added as an afterthought.

 

"I got held up with some knights." Kragen offered lamely.

 

Natada gave a simple shrug and lowered his ears. "I was not part of the team at that point, your highness."

 

"I don't care what your excuses are!" Sabor growled. "Because of your insolence, that brat escaped! He lives!.......But not for much longer."

The four lackies all looked to their king. Sabor's demeanor softened, regaining control of himself.

"I want the four of you to find the prince and do what should have been done all those years ago."

Cayne grinned a wicked smile and Kragen smirked. Bloodlust revealing itself in both their eyes.

"How do you wish for it to be done, sire?" Cayne asked, almost too eagerly.

 

"I say we tear the bastard to pieces!" Kragen declared, grinning widely and showing off his teeth which seemed to have become pointier. Sharper.

 

"A simple stabbing to the heart would be much quicker and easier." Nessa pointed out, pulling a dagger out of her sleeve for a visual example.

 

Sabor waved them off. "I don't care how you do it, I just want it done. You've failed me once. Don't let it happen again."

 

"Yes sire." the four chorused and bowed.

 

"Good." Sabor said and turned his back on them. "Now go. Prepare yourselves."

 

He heard the sound of feet stomping up the stairs behind him and within moments, he was alone. He walked over to the window and looked out at the darkening sky. Night would be falling soon. 

 

Black eyes swept across the sky and then down to the village below. From this point in the tower, Sabor could see nearly all of the kingdom.

 

His kingdom.

He had worked too hard and had come to far to have this taken from him. 

 

Sabor clenched his fist, gripping the window sill in a white knuckle grip. 

 

Alive. 

Thallon and Venali's son was alive all this time...

 

Sabor felt bile begin to rise in his throat and he forced himself to swallow it down. 

 

No. 

He was not going to fret about this. He was just a boy. A stupid boy. Sabor was the one with all the power. Sabor was the one who had an army. Sabor was the one who could perform magic. Sabor was the one who wore the crown.

The boy would be dead before the day was through.

 

Sabor had already won a long time ago. This sudden revelation changed nothing.

The dark elf felt the tension in his shoulders release at these comforting thoughts. He was right. He had nothing to worry about.

With a satisfied smirk, Sabor turned from the window and disappeared into the castle just as the sun finally set, leaving Kaella in darkness.


	5. Chapter Four: No Discrimination Between the Sinners and the Saints

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to apologize in advance for this chapter. I am so, so sorry....
> 
> Also, cookies to those who can guess the Hamilton reference in the title~
> 
>  
> 
> Enjoy.

"Now hold still."

Kendal shuddered and made a noise of disgust as the raw slab of steak was slapped over his swollen, bruised and bleeding face. He felt the blood trickle down his face and drip onto his shirt but quickly relaxed as the coolness of the meat soothed the pain.

 

"There goes dinner." Orin grumbled irritably, tossing away the wrappings that the steak had previously been wrapped in. He was planning on having it later in the week and was quite disappointed that it would go to waste, being used as a cold compress instead.

 

"We can get more, Papa." Aerin reassured him.

 

"Are you alright, Kendal?" Rhys asked; a worried look on his face.

 

Kendal shrugged nonchalantly. "Please. I've been in worse scraps than that with my brother. The guy just got a lucky hit is all. I would have won that fight had you not intervened!" he added, glaring at the chestnut haired prince.

 

"Sure you would have, Kendal." Aerin deadpanned. "Sure you would have."

 

"Well I think you were being wreckless and stupid." Circe piped up.

 

"WHAT?!" Kendal shrieked, dropping the steak onto the floor. "I saved your furry hyde!"

 

"You got your hyde kicked!" Circe shot back.

 

"Well excuse me for trying to stand up for you to some Halfling hating idiot! Maybe next time I'll just let him hit ya!"

 

The deertaur crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Look, I appreciate the sentiment. I do. But you getting hurt and picking fights doesn't help anything." She lowered her ears and her green eyes flicked down, staring at the floor. "Besides, it's not like I'm not used to being treated like that...."

 

For as long as he had known her, Circe had always been treated differently by the residents of Dameral due to her being part deer. Or Halfling, as its more commonly referred to when someone is half animal. For it was unfortunately thought that Halfings, due to them being half animal, were considered to be less than other creatures. Less intelligent. Less feeling. In the eyes of society, Halflings were usually considered just a little bit higher than the common wild beast. 

 

"That still doesn't make it right." Rhys murmured. 

 

Circe sighed. "No, it doesn't make it right....But I can handle myself and I don't need the midget or anyone else to protect me!"

 

Kendal huffed and picked up the steak, slapping it back over his eye. "Whatever."

 

"I don't want you getting hurt for my sake okay!?"

 

"Alright we get it! Enough!" Orin snapped at the bickering two, tired of having to listen to their back and forth.

 

"Sorry." The deertaur and the dwarf grumbled to Orin as they glared at each other.

The older elf huffed in annoyance and then looked to his children. "How do you two stand listening to them all the time?"

 

"Honestly, you just learn to tune it out after awhile." Rhys shrugged nonchalantly.

 

"It all becomes background noise eventually." Aerin agreed, nodding her head.

 

"Well they gave me a headache." Orin grumbled irritably and trudged out of the house, heading to the garden. "I'm gonna go check on the chickens."

*************************************************

Four pairs of eyes peered down the hill at the little farm house way down below. 

"You sure this is the right place?" Kragen asked, glaring skeptically at their destination.

"The spell that Sabor used to bring us here was supposed to track down the prince." Nessa pointed out. "It must be the right place."

Cayne let out a nasty sounding cackle. "Besides, even if this isn't where the prince is..." he paused for dramatic effect and reached a hand behind his back; pulling out what appeared to be a club with spikes sticking out the end. "We'll still get to have some fun!"

 

"Just make sure the little brat doesn't get away this time." Nessa warned. She flicked both her wrists and two daggers-one for each hand- slid down out of her sleeves and into her waiting palms. "Lets go."

 

On the woman's command, Natada and Kragen both began to glow and their bodies began to transform. Kragen back into his werewolf form and Natada into a very large fox. His nine tails swishing behind him.

The four began their descent down the hill towards the farm house.

 

****************************************************************

 

Orin hobbled outside the backdoor and into the garden, leaving the younger residents inside to continue nursing Kendal's wounds and their arguments. He sighed and took a moment to enjoy the peace before he trudged down the path, heading toward the barn to check on the chickens.

 

"That Kendal's gonna get himself killed one of these days." He chuckled to himself. "The little shit's always been quite the fighter."

 

As he continued on down towards where the animals were kept, Orin's pace began to slow. His smile fell and he stopped walking. Standing still and listening.

Silence.

It was quiet. Much too quiet for a farm. The usual nonstop clucking of the chickens and snorting of the pigs had suddenly stopped. Not a sound to be heard. Not even the family of the robins that lived in the tree next to the house was making a peep.

 

Orin felt the hairs on his arms stand on end. He tightened his grip on his cane and cautiously continued onward towards the coop. The deafening silence was pressing itself against Orin's ears and his senses were on end. He had not felt like this since his younger days when he was on a mission and every fiber of his being was screaming that he was not alone.

 

By now he had reached the gate where the chickens were kept. Not a single one of the foul was in sight but Orin noticed the scattered feathers across the ground.

 

Orin unlatched the gate and entered, not bothering to close the latch again should he need to make an escape. He clutched his cane, holding it by the middle and walked towards the coop, overly aware of everything around him.

Everything was still too quiet.

 

He reached the coop and took a breath. Bracing himself for what he would find on the other side. Orin tightened his grip on his cane, ready to swing and after mentally counting to three, he pushed the door open.

 

Orin didn't know what he expected to find but it was not this.

Red.

Everything was red.

The walls and ceiling of the coop were splatted with the red liquid and the nests where the chickens had rested were all destroyed. Hay and feathers coating the floor, they too darkened with blood.

The worst of it all though, was the parts. Legs. Wings. Guts. Strewn here and there. Orin had to swallow down the threatening vomit that rised in his throat and he looked away as the glassy, unseeing eyes of the decapitated chicken head stared right back at him.

 

"What the hell..." Orin whispered.

 

A shuddering breath sounded from behind him and a chill ran down Orin's spine. He whirled around and came face to face with the largest wolf he had ever seen.

 

The wolf seemed to grin, its pointed fangs stained with chicken blood. A grisly looking clawed leg sticking out of the corner of the beast's mouth.

 

"Easy now Kragen." a feminine voice purred from just outside the coop. Orin stiffened. That voice.....He knew that voice!

 

"YOU!"

 

The wolf took a few steps to the side, still keeping his red eyes on the elf. Nessa sauntered in from the other side. A lazy smile pulling at her lips. Her golden, cat like eyes flicking to Orin. 

 

"So you remember me, Captain? I'm flattered. I do apologize for your birds...." She trailed off, glancing down at the headless body of a chicken that was laying near her feet. She carelessly scooted it aside with her foot, blood trailing behind onto the ground as it moved. "But Kragen here skipped lunch today."

 

Kragen smirked again and slurped up the chicken leg, swallowing it in one gulp.

 

"You're not welcome here!" Orin snarled, holding out his cane- his only form of a weapon- out in front of him. "You have three seconds to get the hell off my land!"

 

Orin felt the wind being knocked out of him as a large weight was suddenly pressed against him. He felt himself roughly being knocked to the ground and groaned under the pressure of Kragen's paw as it pressed down on his chest. He couldn't breathe.

 

"We're not going anywhere till we're finished with our mission." Nessa replied, her tone more forceful. She walked over to Orin and bent down, roughly yanking his head up by his red and gray hair. "Where is the prince?"

 

Nessa immediately released her grip on his hair and recoiled in disgust as Orin spat in her face. 

 

Orin's chest heaved as he glared at the white haired woman. His magenta eyes narrowed and he growled. "I made a vow to protect that boy with my life."

 

Nessa glared right back at him and flicked the saliva off of her cheek. This bastard was not going to get away with that.

 

"Then it seems the time has come for you to pay for that vow." 

Faster than a blink Nessa slid a knife out of her sleeve and made a lunge for Orin. At the same time, his hand gripped onto his cane and her swung with all his might. Nessa squealed and stumbled backwards, falling to the ground and dropping her knife. Orin grabbed the knife and jabbed it as hard as he could into Kragen's paw.

 

"AAAAAAAARRRROOOOOO!!!" The wolf screamed in pain and immediately removed his paw from Orin. 

Orin kept his grip on the knife and the second that Kragen's paw was off of him, he rolled to his feet and ran. Properly ran for the first time in years. Not even feeling the seering pain in his leg due to his adrenaline. He had to get back to the farmhouse. He had to protect them!

 

Orin yelled as he was suddenly knocked down from behind. Once again, Kragen was pinning him down. His injured paw bleeding all over Orin and onto the ground. The werewolf snarled and growled. He opened his jaws and lowered his mouth, preparing to bite into Orin but the elf held him back by holding up his cane, blocking his jaws with it. But it wouldn't do good for long. He was still trapped under the weight of the massive wolf. 

 

"Take care of the old man, Kragen!" he heard Nessa's voice shout from somewhere on his left. "We'll handle the prince."

 

"NO!!" Orin cried helplessly, still holding Kragen back by the cane. His pleas fell on deaf ears though as Nessa ran to the house. 

 

Orin turned his head, trying to see the house. Practically breaking his neck in the process, he caught sight of his home just in time to see the door being broken into splinters as a a blue haired figure smashed it to bits with a club.

 

That was all he got to see however as he heard and felt his cane snap in half as Kragen bit through it.

He turned his head back just in time to see a set of pointed teeth heading towards him.

 

****************************************************************

 

"I'm just saying if you hadn't had grabbed me I could have totally take him!" Kendal insisted, still holding the steak to his eye.

"Uh uh." The other three murmured in unison; their tones dry and expressions bored.

 

"I would have!"

 

"Oh be quite and drink your tea." Aerin scolded as she placed a steaming hot cup in front of her short friend. 

 

"After the afternoon we had, I think we could all use a relaxing cup of tea." Rhys chuckled grabbing a cup for himself.

 

"You sound like an old lady." Circe chided. She grabbed her own cup and held it out with her hands. "Would you like a nice cup of calming tea, dearie~?" she said, making her voice more high pitched than usual in an attempt to make it sound more like an old woman. Kendal snorted into his cup and Aerin's lips curled up in an amused smile. Rhys however remained dead panned.

CRASH!

Circe shrieked, Kendal jumped and dropped both his cup of tea and the steak. Aerin's body jerked which caused her to spill the tea she was pouring into a cup, splattering it on herself and the table. Rhys lept to his feet as the door seemed to spontaneously explode.

 

Four heads whirled to the door just in time to spot a spikey club whack against it again, sending more splinters flying. One more hit and the door burst completely. The group of four stiffened in fear, confusion and alarm as a troll lumbered in. The creature turned his head and when he spotted the youths, he grinned, showing off his yellowing teeth.

 

"So you must be the prince. You look just like your Daddy."

 

"Wh-What're you doing here?!" Rhys was the first to find his voice. He struggled to keep it steady, trying not to let the troll know just how badly his words had shook him. "Y-You're trespassing! Get out!"

 

"No can do, kid." The troll chuckled, casually swinging his club around. "I gots a job to do ya see? The boss don't like it when I don't get my job done."

 

"What sort of job?" Rhys asked, his stomach twisting in knots. He had a feeling he knew exactly what this job entelled but he didn't want to believe it.

 

Rhys suspicions were confirmed as Cayne's sick yellow grin widened even more.

"To kill you."

 

He swung his club and the four either ducked or lept out of its path. The club flew and smashed into the cabinet and the sound of breaking glass and wood was heard as the cabinet and the dishes inside it broke.

 

"RUN!"

The four scattered for the doorway but Cayne was faster than he looked. He took another swung at Rhys but was stopped as Aerin grabbed the teapot and tossed the scalding hot tea into his face. Cayne yowled in pain, his free hand clawing at his face and the four took their chance and bolted out of the kitchen and down the hall.

 

"Why does that creep want to kill you?!" Circe asked as they ran.

 

"How should I know?!" Rhys snapped.

 

"Quick! Out the backdoor!" Aerin ordered and the group took a sharp left, sprinting down the hall towards the door. Rhys reached it first and wrenched the door open but they were stopped as their exit was blocked by a giant, angry looking fox.

 

The fox narrowed his icy blue eyes at the group and let out a growl. He opened his mouth wide and the gang were horrified to see the orange-yellow glow forming in the back of his throat.

 

Fire.

 

"GET BACK!!" Kendal screamed and the four pressed their bodies against the walls just in time to miss the burst of fire that erupted from the kitsune. The fire rushed forth, streaming down the hall and the four all broke out into a sweat from the intense heat. The fire was mere inches from burning them.

After what felt like an eternity- though was actually only a few seconds- the fire died down as Natada lost his breath from the blow. The second it was safe to move, Circe kicked the door shut and the four of them bolted off down further into the house, turning a corner and missing the second blast of fire.

 

"We're trapped!" Aerin gasped, fear evident in her voice.

 

"What do we do now?!" Kendal asked the group.

Rhys suddenly gasped. "Quick! To the attic! We can climb out through the window!"

 

They took off running again. The horrible sound of shattering wood echoed behind them as Natada tried to squeeze through the door, breaking the house in the process. 

 

Circe suddenly let out a piercing scream as the spiky club swung out of the doorway as they passed it. The deertaur skidded to a stop and the four of them jumped back, just missing the club as Cayne came in. The skin on his face raw and blistering from being scalded by the hot tea earlier.

 

"You little brat!" the troll roared and made a beeline towards Rhys. 

 

Rhys ducked to the ground and Cayne swung the club, hitting the wall and making a hole right where Rhys' head would have been. But Rhy's barely had time to take a breath as Cayne quickly swung the spiked club again. He let out a furious growl and wildly swung in all directions, not caring who or what he hit. All the while backing Rhys further into a corner.

Rhys suddenly let out a yelp as he felt his feet fly out from under him. He had tripped over the carpet and tumbled to the floor landing on his back and hitting his head. He heard a ringing in his ears and his head throbbed and by the time he had opened his eyes, Cayne was standing over him. Club held high over his head, ready to deliver the killing blow.

Cayne moved his arms and prepared to swing but at that moment, he felt a weight suddenly upon his back and he stumbled forward. A pair of arms wrapped around his neck. "What the hell!?"

 

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Kendal screamed at his friend as he clung onto the troll's neck. Rhys took advantage of the distraction and quickly crawled between Cayne's legs and ran back to the girls.

 

"GET OFF ME!" Cayne roared and began to thrash around in an attempt to fling the dwarf off his back. All poor Kendal could do was hang on for dear life. His arms clamped tightly around Cayne's neck. His body flopping through the air like a ragdoll.

 

"Pick on someone your own size, ugly!" 

Cayne snarled in annoyance and ceased his thrashing. He lifted his club again and prepared to swing.

 

"Kendal watch out!" Rhys warned.

 

At the last possible second, Kendal released his grip on Cayne's neck and flung himself off his back, hitting the floor with a thud. Cayne swung blindly as he did so and instead of hitting the dwarf, the club instead made contact with his back. Due to him wearing a thick leather vest, most of the spikes did not harm him as much as they could have but the few that did, tore through his clothes and skin.

Cayne screamed in pain and fell to his knees, both from the force of the blow and from the pain. Blood seeped from the wounds and he tossed the club away. Shaking in pain. 

Rhys and the girls could only watch the scene in silent horror but were snapped out of it as Kendal suddenly barreled past them and shouted "Lets go!"

They tore their attention away from the injured troll and followed after Kendal, running up the stairs to the second floor of the house to get to the attic. But they were forced to come to a stop as their path was blocked by Nessa.

 

"Not another one!" Kendal groaned.

 

Nessa smirked to herself and her yellow eyes flicked over to Rhys, eyeing him up and down. "Well now, if it isn't the little prince. Not so little anymore I see."

 

"Listen, y-you don't have to do this." Rhys gulped, moving his arms and shepherding the others so they were behind him. "Please, we can talk this out. Nobody has to get hurt."

 

"Actually, yes you do." Nessa replied, almost cheerfully as she reached behind her back, pulling out one of her many daggers. "Sabor specifically ordered for you to die."

 

"Sabor?" Rhys gasped. He felt his stomach twist at the mention of the man who had murdered his parents and drove him into hiding. He felt the others stiffen behind him at the mention of the name.

 

"Mhmm." Nessa hummed. "But it's not all that bad, little prince. You should have died when you was a baby. But you got to live up till this point." She paused in her speech and glanced around at the farm house. "Granted it wasn't much of a life, but still."

 

"Well if you think were just gonna stand by and let you kill Rhys you're stupider than you look!" Kendal suddenly piped up, coming out from behind Rhys with his fists raised, ready for a fight.

 

Nessa grinned. "Then you shall die along with him."

 

Before anyone could blink, the white haired female pulled out three more daggers from seemingly out of thin air and threw all four of them in their direction. One for each of them.

 

Rhys grabbed Aerin and shoved her down out of the way of their two daggers. Kendal ducked and felt a shiver run down his spine as the dagger whizzed just above his head, slicing off some of his blond hair. Circe jumped out of the way but her hooves barely hit the ground as Nessa grabbed more daggers and threw them at her and her friends.

The next few moments were a flurry of movement as the daggers continued to rain down upon them. Nessa's movements quick and fluid. Her arsenal of daggers seemingly endless and the four had no choice but to continue to duck, twist and leap out of the way.

 

Rhys staggered back, a gasp escaping him as his right shoulder suddenly erupted with white hot, firey pain. He felt something wet and warm begin to ooze down his arm and only managed to have enough time to register that he had been hit before Nessa lept in front of him. 

 

She grabbed the dagger by the handle and yanked it out of his shoulder, blood surting forth like a fountain but Nessa paid no mind to this fact. She grabbed the young prince by his shirt and placed the bloody blade at his throat but before she could drag it, a pair of hooves appeared on her right side, striking her in the face. She tumbled to the floor with a thud, the knife skittering out of her hand.

 

"Nice one Circe!" Kendal congratulated.

 

"Rhys you're bleeding!" The deertaur shrieked, vaguely registering the compliment.

 

Rhys placed a trembling hand on his shoulder, clutching at the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He turned his head and glanced at Nessa, who was sprawled out onto the floor on her stomach. His attention was suddenly drawn to her back. 

 

With her snow colored hair now splayed out around her instead of hanging down and the low back cut style of her dress, the two long scars down her back were visible. They were long and were placed side by side, each line in equal length, though were jagged along the sides as if something was forcefully torn or sliced from her body.

Just as Rhys was beginning to question what could have caused those scars, Nessa moved, lifting herself up by the arms and she turned her head. She spat out blood-having accidentally bitten her tongue when Circe kicked her- her yellow eyes looking murderous as she glared at the four.

 

"You'll pay for that!' 

 

She lunged for Rhys but he managed to jump out of the way. The gang tore past Nessa and tried to run down the hall. Nessa jumped to her feet and rushed after them, her arms swinging blindly in an attempt to grab anyone. 

 

She nearly got a handful of Aerin's pink hair before the female elf whirled around, placing her hands on Nessa's chest and giving her a hard shove. Nessa gasped and stumbled back, losing her footing and down the stairs she tumbled, smacking into Natada on the way down as he was maxing his way up the stairs. The fox and the woman both tumbled backwards, landing at the bottom of the stairs as the gang made their escape upstairs.

 

"Were almost there!" Aerin gasped as they turned the corner and spotted the attic door. 

Circe galloped forward and reached the attic first. She raised up onto her hind legs and after giving a little jump, managed to grab onto the string and pulled. The attic door dropped down and the ladder clattered to the ground, landing with a very loud thud.

 

"Go! Go! Go! Go!" Aerin chanted as she helped Circe up the ladder first, pushing her rump as the deertaur hurried up, slightly awkwardly.

Rhys prepared to go next but suddenly realized that the room felt a lot hotter. "Is it hotter in here all of a sudden?"

 

"Oh shit!" Kendal yelled and Rhys turned around, gasping in horror as he saw the huge fireball that was heading right there way.

 

Ignoring the pain in his arm as he moved it, Rhys whirled around and suddenly picked up Kendal, lifting him off the ground.

 

"Hey! What're you- WHOA!" 

And the dwarf flew through the air as Rhys tossed him up the ladder and Kendal disappeared inside. Rhys grabbed onto the ladder and practically sprinted up it, making it to the attic entrance just as the fireball hit the ladder. The ladder disintigrated at his feet, burning away in the flames and Rhys screamed as he felt the support give away under his feet; but was saved from falling down into the flames as the others grabbed his arms and hauled him up. Once Rhys was safely inside, they grabbed onto the door and hauled, snapping it shut and sealing themselves from the danger...for now.

 

"Is everyone alright?!" Circe asked, looking around worriedly at her friends.

 

"Who are those people?!" Kendal shrieked.

 

"Didn't you hear? They work for Sabor!" Rhys panted, groaning in pain as Aerin grabbed at his still bleeding, injured arm. 

 

"Why are they coming after you now? After all this time?" she muttered to herself as she tore off part of the bottom of her dress, wrapping it around Rhys' injured arm to stop the bleeding.

 

"They must have found out I'm still alive."

Smoke suddenly began to filter into the attic through the cracks of the door. Suddenly, a bone chilling scraping sound was heard and the gang screamed as a pair of claws broke through the wood door. The claws dug into the wood and easily pulled down the ladder door. A giant fox head poked through the opening and glared at the four before growling and then sent another fireball blazing their way.

 

"MOVE!" Rhys screamed and the four of them scrambled out of the way. Getting an idea, Kendal threw his body against a dresser which had long been put away in the attic and forgotten about. The dresser tumbled down onto it's side and shielded the four from the fiery flames.

The kitsune snarled in fury and began to climb into the attic, struggling to get his large furry body through the door.

 

"Quick! Out the window!" Rhys ordered.

The group scrambled out from behind the safely of the overturned dresser and ran to the window. Aerin grabbed at it and pulled with all her might but it wouldn't budge. "It's stuck!"

 

"Move out of the way!" Circe ordered. Aerin took a step back and Circe approached the window, whirled around and kicked out her back legs. In an instant her hooves shattered the glass.

"Hurry up! He's getting in!" Kendal warned as Natada continued to squirm, wriggling his way in through the door. The kitsune growled and opened his mouth, letting out another blast of flame but once again it was blocked by the dresser.

Rhys lifted his leg and kicked out the rest of the glass before grabbing Aerin by the arm and all but forced her out the window. Kendal followed suit after her and then Circe. By the time Rhys managed to crawl out, Natada managed to free himself and bounded over to the window. He stuck his massive paw out of the window and pawed wildly at the air.

The four friends slowly inched their way along the edge of the roof, going as fast as they could without falling. But as they reached the other side of the house they realized they were facing yet another problem.

"How do we get down?!" Aerin gasped.

 

"We're gonna have to jump!" Rhys answered trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

 

"It's too high!" Circe shrieked.

 

"It's either jump or wait for the fire to burn the place down!" Rhys snapped. 

 

"Uh, guys." Kendal spoke up. "We've got company!"

 

Rhys looked up and felt a feeling of dread descend upon him as a large, brown wolf bounded over towards them, coming over from the fields. Kragen seemed to grin wickedly and threw back his head, letting out a long, loud howl. 

 

"How many of these freaks wanna kill ya, Rhys?!" Kendal asked. 

"How should I know?!"

 

Just as Rhys finished his sentence, the werewolf had howled again and was upon them. He stood on his hind legs and swiped a paw at the four trapped youths but the roof was high enough that it was just out of his reach.

"What do we do now?!" Circe asked, nearing hysterics. 

 

But her question was interrupted by a scream from Aerin as the roof suddenly gave away under her foot and she fell, her leg sinking in through the hole. She could feel the flames from the fire below coming dangerously close to her foot.

 

"Aerin!" Rhys lept into action and pulled her out. "Are you alright?"

 

"I'm fine but were still stuck up here!!"

The four could smell the smoke and Kragen continued to circle below them; jaws snapping and ready to attack the second one of them got to close to the edge. Rhys mind was racing trying to think of a way to get to safety.

 

Then he had an idea.

 

"What are you doing?" Kendal asked as Rhys bent down and grabbed part of the wooden planks which had broken when Aerin fell through. 

 

"Getting us out of here." He grunted and heaved with all of his might. The plank gave away and Rhys lifted it over his shoulder.

 

He heard one of them shout out his name as he ran towards the edge of the roof, holding the wood plank like a spear. Kragen had once again risen onto his hind legs in an attempt to swipe at Rhys. This proved to be a mistake for at that moment, Rhys jabbed the plank and jammed it into Kragen's eye.

 

The werewolf threw back his head and yowled in both pain and fury, temporarily blinded in his injured eye. As he staggered back, Rhys took a nervous gulp and lept from the roof, landing on Kragen's face and clung on for dear life.

 

"RHYS!!"

 

"JUMP DOWN!!" the prince screamed, gripping tightly to the werewolfs fur. Kragen howled and growled and thrashed his head in an attempt to fling him off. "HURRY!"

 

Taking advantage of the distraction, Aerin, Circe and Kendal braced themselves and lept from the roof. Circe landing rather gracefully on her hooves and Aerin and Kendal more or less flopped to the ground.

 

No sooner had they hit to ground did Rhys finally lose his grip on Kragen. He was flung through the air and landed hard on his back, the wind getting knocked out of him.

 

"Run! RUN!" Kendal ordered as he and Aerin grabbed Rhys by the arms and hauled him to his feet. The four of them immediately took off running, heading for the woods but Kragen was right behind them.

 

The four ran through the trees, zigging and zagging and jumping over roots but the werewolf was relentless. Kragen bounded through the woods, hot on their trail, but he was halted as Aerin suddenly came to a stop, pulled back a branch and released it, causing Kragen to be smacked right in the mouth.

 

He gagged and spit out a mouthful of leaves. He felt his blood boil and the fur on the back of his neck stood on end. He growled an angry growl and took off further into the woods. "Those little punks are all gonna pay for this!" he thought.

 

He took off running again, tavelling down the path he glimpsed Aerin run down after she hit him with the branch. After a moment, he slowed down, his run turning into a slow walk. His ears turned this way and that, listening hard but the forest was dead silent.

He lost sight of them.

 

Kragen let out an annoyed growl and proceeded to put his nose to ground. He began to sniff frantically at the dirt and stalked off, passing by a murky looking lake as he did so.

 

Had he lingered for a few moments longer though, he would have seen the four heads poke out of the dirty water as they came to the surface.

"Okay, who's dead?" Kendal half gasped half coughed. "Show of hands."

 

"Is everyone alright?" Rhys asked frantically, whipping his soaking wet hair out of his eyes.

 

"I-I think so." Circe whimpered, visably trembling. Her nerves shot from all the excitement.

 

The groups attention was suddenly drawn to Aerin as she let out a loud gasp. The color had faded from her face and her eyes were wide with panic.

 

"Wait! Papa's still back there!" 

 

Rhys felt his stomach twist painfully. He had not thought about Orin since he had left to go outside just before the attack. What had happened to him during all that time?

 

"We have to go back!" Aerin exclaimed and began to swim towards the edge of the lake. "He could be in trouble! He might need help!"

 

"Aerin wait up!" Rhys called and swam after her. Circe and Kendal followed suit. 

 

Once out of the water, the four of them took off running back to the farm house.

*********************************************************

 

They smelled the smoke long before they arrived. The rain began to fall just before they arrived upon what used to the farmhouse. Natada's fire had reduced Rhys and Aerin's childhood home to nothing but ashes. The rain putting out the fire, saving the forest and any other nearby dwellings from the same fate.

 

"Papa!" Aerin shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth, fear evident in her voice. "PAPA?!"

 

"Orin!" Rhys called, looking around but there was no sign of the older elf.

 

"He couldn't have gone to far." Kendal said, whipping his dripping bangs out of his eyes. "I'm sure he's fine."

Rhys could tell by the dwarfs tone that he was lying for their sake.

 

"Lets check by the barn." Circe suggested.

 

The four of them set off down the path. Aerin took a running start and rushed ahead of them. She reached the barn first and circled around, disappearing around the corner.

 

Then she screamed. It was a scream like none other that any of them had heard before. The kind of scream that one never forgets and is always at the back of your mind for the rest of your life once you've had the unpleasant experience to hear it. It was a scream of total shock, horror and despair.

 

"Aerin!" 

 

The other three bolted off, rushing around the corner.

 

"Aerin what's wro-" Rhys immediately halted in his tracks. He suddenly felt gravely ill and he felt like he wanted to scream but no sound came out. His mind vaguely registered Circe's horrified gasp and the sound of Kendal vomiting beside him.

 

For on the ground, a few feet ahead of them lay Orin. Flat on his back, his head tilted to the side. Blood and guts pouring out from the gaping hole that used to be his throat. Blood splattered across his face and chest. The rest of it seeping into the grass beneath him, mixing in with the blood and the rain.

 

His magenta colored eyes stared right at Rhys but did not see him.

 

For a long moment nobody moved or spoke. The horrific sight too much for the four to comprehend. Rhys felt numb and he felt cold. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He couldn't think.

 

Orin....was gone.....

 

"PAPA!"

 

The heartbroken wail is what finally broke Rhys out of his trance. Aerin had dropped to her knees beside her father. Her expression a mix of fear, horror and absolute heartache. Tears rushed down her cheeks, mixing in with the rain. She sobbed, falling down and laying her head on her deceased fathers chest. She screamed and wailed again; her cries getting drowned out by the crack of thunder in the distance.

 

"Papa......Papa, no.....come back.....Papa....."

 

Rhys felt his throat close up and tears stung his own eyes. He numbly forced himself to walk over to Aerin and collapsed beside her as his knees gave out. He reached over and gently pulled her off of her father. "D-Don't.....Don't look...."

 

Aerin heaved and let out another sob, clinging to her brother this time. She buried her face in his uninjured shoulder and her hands gripped at his shirt. Rhys wrapped his arms around her, holding onto her like she was the only thing to keeping him on the ground. He felt his body begin to tremble and the tears and the rain were blinding his vision.

 

He blinked and forced himself to look at the grisly scene one last time. With a shaky hand he reached out, closing Orin's unseeing eyes.


	6. Chapter 5: Rhys Loses his Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relia is NOT my character. She belongs to my friend, Aralyn187 from DeviantART. She was kind enough to let me use her character in this story.
> 
> All other characters and the plot belong to me, though.
> 
> Enjoy!

The four of them stayed like that for who knows how long. Just standing or sitting in the rain as it mixed with their tears. All of them numb and not knowing how to react.

 

When the rain had stopped they dug a hole down by the river under the tree where he used to sit and watch the kids swim when they were little and buried him there. Circe gathered some flowers and they each sat a small bouquet upon the gravesite. Rhys frowned at the two sticks tied together which formed a cross. It was a pitiful grave marker in his opinion. Orin deserved a proper one.

He was a hero after all. Hero's deserved a proper hero's burial.

After the very quiet and somber funeral, with nowhere for them to stay, Circe offered for Rhys and Aerin to stay with her until they were able to get back on their feet, to which, both of the elves were grateful for. 

 

**************************************************

Kendal made his way down the slope the three days later as he travelled through the woods, on his way to Circe's dwelling to check up on Rhys and Aerin. 

"She just had to live on the other side of the damn planet, didn't she?" he grumbled irritably under his breath. In reality, Circe's house was actually just a little bit ways outside of Dameral. Though, it still was a bit of a walk from the town.

Though as it would turn out, his grumblings and complaints were in vain for that moment he had arrived at his destination: A wide, beautiful clearing, stretching on for as far as they eye could see. Scattered about the clearing were various types of centaurs and deer-taurs. Their coats all different colors and textures. A continuous, very soft thudding sound was heard as the Halflings trotted, ran and galloped about, their hoofs hitting against the grass.

Kendal continued down the slope and entered the clearing, making his way near to the other side of the clearing where he knew the various huts and tents were set up. Neither the centaurs or deertaurs paid the dwarf much attention aside from the occasional passing glance. He, Rhys and Aerin had been to this place enough times with Circe that the other herd members recognized him as the friend of one of their own.

"Kendal!"

The dwarf turned around at the sound of his name and Circe trotted over, a basket of various types of fruit in her hands. "How are they?"

 

Circe came to a stop and she frowned as her ears lowered. "How do you think?"

 

"That bad huh?" He sighed.

 

"I let them both sleep in." Circe explained, reaching into the basket and tossing Kendal an apple from the top of the pile. "None of us really got any sleep last night.....for the past few nights, actually."

 

"Yeah, me either." Kendal admitted, turning the apple over in his hands, not really having much of an appetite.

 

"Did you tell your family what happened?" Circe asked curiously.

 

"Oh hell no!" he gasped, horrified. "Mom woulda had a heart attack then and there!"

"You cant just not tell them." Circe pointed out. 

 

"I know. I just...." Kendal trailed off and it was then that Circe noticed the bags under his eyes. He looked so worn out. So....not himself. "I....I cant believe he's really gone."

"Me either..." Circe whispered.

 

The two stood there as a silence descended upon them. Neither of them sure what to say or do next. Both actively choosing to ignore the concerned and curious glances from the other deertaurs and centaurs of the herd as the halflings roamed about their business. Circe had informed them of Orin's sudden passing when she had returned to the clearing with Rhys and Aerin; though she was careful to omit the majority of the details. Wanting to give them their privacy, they left them alone.

 

"We better go check on them." Circe spoke up after a moment. Kendal nodded mutely in response and followed after her as she lead the way back to her hut.

 

*************************************************

 

Rhys peeled his eyes open and he found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. He lay there for a few moments, unaware of where he was and why he was there before the memories of three days before came rushing forth, smacking him and pulling him down like a wave from the ocean. All at once the events came back to his mind.

 

The attack from Sabor's lackies.

The fire.

The house burning down.

Orin's dead glassy eyes staring straight through him.

Rhys shuddered and shook his head. He pressed the palms of his hands to his eyes and laid there, refusing to sit up until the need to cry had passed. He forced himself to take a shuddering breath and then another.

 

Orin was dead. His father figure was dead and it was all his fault.

 

"Rhys?"

 

The soft mutter of Circe's voice drew the elven prince from his despair. He looked over and saw the deertaur standing on the doorway.....well it was actually technically a sheet hanging from a wire from the ceiling, acting as a door so it wasn't technically a doorway, but close enough.

 

"....What?" He heard himself ask without fully realizing he had spoken until the words had already left him. His voice was croaky and hoarse sounding. Not like his own.

 

"We just came to check on you..." the deertaur replied uncertainly.

Taking the word 'we' as his cue, Kendal poked his head in through the door revealing his presence. "Are you.....okay?"

 

"What do you think?" Rhys grumbled as he sat up, the blanket falling away and revealing his bare chest. He rubbed at his eyes and let out an exhausted sounding sigh. Oh how he wanted to go back to sleep and be away from this waking nightmare. ".....How's Aerin?"

 

"Still sleeping, I think." Circe answered. 

 

"No I'm not." came a voice from behind and Aerin entered the room. She was dressed in the same clothes she was wearing the previous day but her face looked tired. Her eyes bloodshot.

The four of the just sat and stood there in silence for a moment. None of them sure what to say or do. What could be done? Nothing would ever fill the hole that suddenly filled their lives.

"We um...." Kendal started to speak, breaking the silence. "We should....maybe....m-maybe consider ....trying to go back to the house." He mumbled, shuffling uncomfortably. "Ya know....t-to see if anything survived."

 

His suggestion was met with silence and the dwarf found himself wishing that he had not spoken at all. "If uh.....if you think you can handle it, I mean. You know what? Never mind. Forget I said anything-"

 

"It's fine." Rhys cut him off. "You're right."

 

Aerin remained silent but nodded in agreement. The other three then left the room to give Rhys some privacy to get dressed and shortly after that, they were on their way, heading back to the charred farmhouse.

**********************************************************

"My god..."

 

It was gone. The farmhouse in which they had grown up, played in, laughed in, was gone. Gone forever in a firey death. All that remained was the blackened, ash covered, skeletal framework which was crumbling down bit by bit.

 

Even though Rhys had already known that the house was a goner, somehow, seeing the damage in person like this made it all too real. It made him realize that now, the only worldly possessions that he and Aerin possessed were the clothes on their backs.

 

And the ring.

 

Circe was the first to break out of the trance. Her hooves lightly thumping against the grass and then crunching underneath her as she walked up to the smoldering farm house. She began to dig through the remains, her hands becoming blackened with the soot as she tossed the debris aside.

 

"I don't think it will be much use." Rhys pointed out. Though, despite his objections, his feet automatically began to walk forward.

 

"We've come all this way." she replied. "There's no harm in looking at least."

 

No one answered her. The four of them beginning to shift and search through the burnt debris. Even though none of them were expecting to find anything even remotely salvageable, they continued to search. It kept their hands busy. It kept their minds numb. If they kept busy and their minds numb, they wouldn't have to think about why they were searching through this wreckage in the first place....

Rhys tossed aside some burnt wooden frames, letting them fall to his right with a clatter. They had been searching and shifting for nearly thirty minutes by this point and still none of them have been able to find anything salvageable. 

Just as he was beginning to debate on whether or not he should suggest to his friends that they call it quits, something caught his attention. "Hm?"

It was small, mostly buried under the ash and wreckage and had it not been for the ray of sunlight hitting what little bit was sticking out, Rhys would have missed it entirely.

It was silver and he could see his eyes staring back at him in it's reflection. "A mirror?" he guessed as he began to dig it out.

 

It was definitely not a mirror.

"I found something!"

Three heads turned at the sound of his call and three jaws became agape when they saw that Rhys was now brandishing a sword.

 

"Whoa!" Kendal gasped at the same time that Circe exclaimed, "Wow!"

 

"It must have been Orin's." Rhys commented, mostly speaking to himself than the others. He lifted up the sword and carefully dusted off the ash, one hand holding the sword by it's hilt while the other held it's carrier.

"Lookit the craftsmanship on this thing!" Kendal exclaimed as he waddled over and took the sword from his friend, admiring the weapon. Even though the sword was most likely more than 20 years old by this point, it was evident that Orin had kept it in near pristine condition. The blade still sharp and on the top of the handle was a small insignia of a Phoenix. "What a beauty!"

Kendal handed the blade back to Rhys and just as Rhys was about to put it in its holder, he caught sight of the reflection of the magenta colored eyes staring back at him. He turned around and for the first time noticed Aerin standing behind him. Her expression an odd mix of emotions that Rhys could not pinpoint; her gaze on her father's old weapon.

 

He looked from his sister and then back at the sword. This was all that survived the attack and the fire. This was the last physical object that connected them to Orin...

Rhys completely shielded the sword and then turned to face Aerin. The pink haired elf blinked in surprise and she felt her eyes widen as he held the sword out to her. "What...."

 

"You take it." Rhys answered. "He would want you to have it."

 

For a few seconds, Aerin did not move. She looked from Rhys to the sword and then with very shaky hands, reached out, taking the weapon. She stared down at it, not able so say a word. Rhys could tell that her mind was a million miles from where they were.

 

And then, her legs gave out and she collapsed to her knees, hugging the sword tightly as she began to sob. 

**************************************************

Rhys stared down at his dinner plate later that night, not eating his food but opting to push the contents of the plate around with his fork instead. Though, one glance around Circe's table would tell you that the other three didn't have much of an appetite either.

 

None of them really spoke much after Aerin's breakdown at the remains of the house. Once she had calmed herself down enough to once again stand, the four of them returned back to Circe's hut, Aerin clinging to her father's sword the entire time; only letting go of it when they had returned.

 

Try as hard as he could, that horrible, horrible day kept replaying in the prince's mind. He kept thinking about Orin and that talk they had had in the early hours of that morning.

 

He didn't know that that would be one of the last one-on-one conversations the two of them would have.

Rhy's felt his stomach churn as the image of Orin's corpse suddenly lept into his mind. He swallowed down the vomit as his mind decided to focus onto the gaping wound of what used to be his throat.

 

Who did that to him? Was it the werewolf? Or the kitsune?

Which of those two monsters was the one who had bitten and ripped out his throat?

 

What a horrible way to die.

 

Aerin, Circe and Kendal all jumped at the sudden loud clatter as Rhys suddenly slammed his fork down onto the table and rose to his feet.

 

"Rhys?" Aerin asked concerned.

 

"I need air." He grumbled and stormed out of the kitchen, roughly yanking the blanket-door out of the way as he left. 

 

He ignored Circe's call of "Rhys, wait!", and stormed through the living room and out the door. He marched off through the grass and stormed off into the woods surrounding the clearing.

 

He continued to storm through the woods, not knowing how long he had been gone or how far he travelled. 

He didn't care. What did it matter? Orin was dead and it was his fault.

 

They were after him. They were coming for him. He should be the one buried in the ground now, not Orin!

 

The scream erupted from his throat before he even realized he was doing it. But he didn't care. He didn't care who heard him. Orin was dead and it was his fault.

His body was acting on it's own accord. His hands frantically grabbing at sticks and rocks and throwing them as far and as hard as could. His legs flailing out and kicking at the dirt and the trunks of trees. He let out another anguished scream. He had no control of these actions. He was just along for the ride.

 

He didn't care how bizarre, even frightening he must have looked right now. Orin was dead and it was his fault.

 

It felt like hours before he finally stopped- (though it was only a few minutes) As suddenly as the random burst of energy and anger had taken over him, it was gone, replaced with exhaustion and a horrible hopeless, empty feeling.

 

Rhys stood there, panting as the light of the full moon shone down on him. His legs felt like jelly and he made himself sit down. He fought against the stinging in his watery eyes and one of his hands gripped at his long chestnut hair. 

 

"What are we going to do, now?"

 

For a long while he sat there. He knew he should have been getting back to the clearing. He knew his friends were going to be worried for him but he couldn't bring himself to find the strength to stand again.

 

He felt lost. Alone. And more frightened than he had ever been in his entire twenty years of life.

 

They were still out there. Sabor was still out there. Looking for him. Something inside Rhys told him that they wouldn't rest until his head was detached from his body. The elf shuddered and his hand rubbed at his throat at the mere thought.

 

He felt a new wave of fresh horror descend upon him as a new thought entered his mind: His friends. What if Sabor went after them to get to him? They were the only people in the world he had left. 

 

The mere thought of Kendal, Circe or Aerin suffering the same fate as his parents.....as Orin....it was too much!

 

He jerked himself out of these thoughts and violently shook his head as if such an action would actually get the horrible thought out of his mind. He needed to focus. He needed a plan. He couldn't lose his friends. He couldn't let anyone else die because of him....

 

He froze as a thought occurred to him. No, not just a thought, more of an idea.

No....No it was foolish. Suicidal! 

 

But yet....it also felt.....right.

 

Rhys reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring. The ring that had started this chain of events which had lead to this moment. His doubled reflection stared back at him from the sapphire gems. 

 

Could.....could he seriously be considering this?

 

Rhys continued to stare at the ring, his thoughts going deeper and deeper into his mind. He knew it was beyond foolish. Dangerous. Crazy even.

 

But he had to do it.

 

Rhys narrowed his eyebrows, his expression hardening and he rose to his feet. He slid the ring onto his finger-a perfect fit- and then, he set off walking back towards the clearing.

 

*********************************************************

"Should we go looking for him?" Aerin asked as she anxiously cast a glance towards the window, hoping to spot her brother coming back towards the hut. Rhys had been gone for nearly an hour by this point and it was beginning to get dark.

 

"He just needs some time to cool off." Kendal pointed out, not too concerned yet about his friends whereabouts. Rhys was upset when he left, yes, but he wasn't stupid. He wouldn't have travelled that far with the threat of Sabor's lackies lurking about.

 

Circe on the other hand wasn't as confident as her vertically challenged friend. "B-But what if they got to him?" she whimpered.

 

"Will you two relax? He's fine!" Kendal huffed, trying and failing to reassure the females.

 

"You don't know that!" Aerin shot back.

 

The dwarf sighed exasperatedly. "Alright fine. If he's not back here in the next ten minutes we'll go look for him. Alright?"

But there was no need for the trio to form a search party for at that moment, the door opened and Rhys entered, his expression blank. His eyes refusing to meet any of theirs.

"Welcome back." Circe said uncertainly, feeling uneasy at her friends strange expression.

Rhys made no reaction to show that he had heard her.

"Rhys?" Aerin asked.

Kendal put his fingers together and snapped them twice, letting out a whistle. "Hey! Snap out of it!"

That seemed to have done the trick for Rhys blinked and shook his head, seeming to have come out of a trance. "Huh?"

"What's wrong with you?" Kendal asked.

"Nothing." Rhys snapped at him but his expression softened. "But....there is something I need to tell you three."

The others gathered around and looked up at the taller elf, all eyes were on him.

 

Rhys took a breath, bracing himself for their reactions. He knew this would not go over well but it had to be done. "......I'm leaving."

"Leaving?" Circe tilted her head.

"Leaving where?" Kendal asked, his tone sounding slightly annoyed.

"To Kaella." Rhys answered as casually as one might have if they were discussing the weather.

 

"KAELLA?!" the three of them gasped in unison.

 

"The hell do you wanna go there for!?" Kendal demanded.

 

"I'm going to stop Sabor."

 

A silence descended upon the living room. Three sets of eyes were staring at Rhys as if he had suddenly sprouted a second head. Three sets of eyes were silently judging him. Three sets of eyes were wondering if it was too early to consider throwing him into the asylum.

 

"Are.....Are you serious?!" Aerin was the first to break the silence, her tone of voice matching her expression: Disbelief.

"I've never been more serious about anything in my entire life." Rhys answered firmly.

"Have you completely lost your mind?!" Kendal shrieked. 

"Maybe." Rhys shrugged.

Circe trotted over to her friend, gently grabbing him by the arm and pulling slightly. "Look, Rhys, it's late and we're all tired. Let's just all get some sleep and-"

 

"I'm not tired and I'm not crazy!" Rhys snapped as he jerked his arm out of her grip. "Don't you see?! He's never going to stop so long as I'm still alive! He's going to keep coming after me until I'm dead!"

 

"So you want to run directly towards the thing that's trying to kill you?" Aerin snapped, jumping to her feet. "Makes perfect sense to me!"

"I can't keep hiding forever." Rhys sighed, trying to calm himself down. 

"It was going great so far." Kendal pointed out.

 

"Sabor thought I was dead all this time." Rhys corrected. "He sent those goons after me. He's going to be expecting them to come back with proof that I'm dead! They're going to keep coming after me! He's going to keep coming after me!"

 

"And what are you going to do once you get there?" Kendal argued. "Just march on into the castle and ask the bastard to stop? It's suicide, Rhys!"

"Well what else am I supposed to do?!" 

"Literally anything else!"

"I'm not going to spend the rest of my life in hiding!"

"You're an absolute loon if you think this scheme of yours is going to work!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

 

The arguing came to an immediate halt and Rhys, Kendal and Aerin slapped their hands over their ears until Circe stopped her screaming.

"Why did you do that?!" Kendal asked.

"To get you two idiots to shut up." The deertaur huffed, stomping her front hoof.

"Damn, girl." Aerin mumbled, rubbing at her now ringing ears. 

Circe sighed and then turned to Rhys. "As much as it pains me to admit this -and it pains me very much- Kendal is right. This is a suicide mission!"

 

"You just told us the other day that there was nothing that can be done." Aerin reminded him.

"That was before...." Rhys trailed off, unable to make himself say the words but the others already knew what he was going to say. He cleared his throat before carrying on, his voice barely a whisper. "I....I cant lose anyone else to him....He's just going to keep coming after me and he's going to go after you guys to get to me. I can't let that happen. I WON'T let that happen."

 

There was a beat of silence as the other three digested the words. Circe looked frightened and Aerin bit her lip while Kendal swallowed down the lump in his throat. He had them there.

"Don't even bother trying to talk me out of this." Rhys continued on; taking advantage of the silence. "My mind is made up. I'm going back to Kaella and I'm going to put a stop to Sabor once and for all."

"But how?!" Aerin asked desperately. "How Rhys?! Think logically!"

"He has an army! He has magic!" Kendal piped up. "You don't stand a chance!"

 

"Maybe not on my own..." Rhys mumbled, speaking more to himself than to his friends. "What if.....What if we had our own army?" 

"An army?" Circe asked dryly.

"That's it. He's cracked." Kendal sighed.

"No! Listen to me!" Rhys pleaded. "If Sabor is as horrible as he's supposed to be, then surely there are others who are oppressed by him as well! If-If I could just get them all together-"

"You're insane!" Kendal shrieked.

 

"There's power in numbers." Rhys said, his voice getting slightly more excited as this plan of his began to take form. "If...If I can convince enough people....Once I tell them I'm the prince, they'll surely believe me and want to help! Yes, Yes! This can work!"

 

"You two are hearing this, right?" Kendal gave up trying to talk to Rhys directly and turned to the girls for help. "Back me up here! Come on! He's crazy!"

 

But the response he got was not what he had hoped for.

 

"...I mean...." Circe began, her face looking uncertain. ".....Maybe?"

 

"It is very crazy." Aerin agreed, but her expression was looking thoughtful. "But....Well....It might just be crazy enough to work."

 

"ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!" Kendal croaked, his voice cracking in hysteria. "I'm surrounded my lunatics! We can't seriously be thinking of doing this! We're not some great heros, okay!? This isn't some kind of adventure story you read about in a book! This is real life! We can literally die!"

 

"Most great heros start off from humble beginnings." Circe pointed out and Kendal had to resist the urge to throttle her. 

 

"We can't keep hiding forever." Aerin pointed out.

 

Kendal was beside himself, his face in his hands and he gripped at his blonde bangs. "This is not happening.....this seriously cannot be happening right now..."

 

"Let me ask you something." Aerin said, ignoring Kendal's mental breakdown as she addressed her brother. "Just how exactly do you expect to pull this off?"

 

Rhys paused as the wrench was thrown into his perfect plan. "......I.....I don't know." He admitted truthfully. "I don't know all the details yet......and I know this is incredibly dangerous and crazy, yes......but.....My parents and Orin didn't die so I could live a life in constant fear.....I know the odds are against me but.....but I have to try something! I'm going through with this, guys. You're not going to talk me out of it."

 

A heavy silence filled the room again and Rhys looked between his friends. He would miss them terribly on this journey but he knew it was best for them to stay behind and safe here in Dameral. He knew how insane this plan was but it was the best idea he had and he was going to at least try it. And when he faced Sabor, if he died, he would at least have died know that he gave it his best shot-

 

"Alright then. When do we leave?"

 

"Huh?!" Rhys jumped, being pulled from his thoughts.

 

"When do we leave?" Circe asked.

 

"We?" Rhys asked dumbly.

 

"Well, duh." Circe huffed.

 

"We're not letting you go through with this hair brained scheme on your own." Aerin gave in.

 

"Nutjobs.....All of them nutjobs." Kendal murmered.

 

Rhys stood there slack jawed as his brain processed these words. Once he could make sense of them he shook his head. "Oh no! No! Absolutely not! I'm going alone!"

 

"No you're not." Aerin said firmly, like a parent scolding their child.

 

"Yes I am!" Rhys argued. "The whole point of me going at all is to keep you safe!"

 

"We're a team." Aerin said bluntly. "Either all of us go, or none of us."

 

"Besides," Circe began. "Someone has got to make sure you don't get yourself killed while trying to form this little.....rebellion thing of yours."

 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rhys asked.

 

"You're too trusting." Circe said, shufflinf her front hooves nervously. 

 

"And that's a bad thing?" Rhys raised his eyebrows.

 

"It is if you trust the wrong person." she answered. "We don't want you getting taken advantage of."

 

"We want people to trust me though!" Rhys countered but before he could go any further, Aerin jumped in. "Besides with that lady, the troll, the werewolf and that kitsune are still after you, you'd stand a better chance against them if you run into them if we were together than if you were alone."

 

Rhys didn't respond. As much as he didn't want his friends to accompany him for fear for their safety, he would be lying if he said he didn't want them to come, too. This task he had placed upon himself seemed less daunting with their help and plus, he just didn't want to be alone. ".......You're not gonna change your mind about this, are you?"

 

"No." the girls replied in unison.

Rhys looked over to his shortest friend. "And you?"

 

Kendal didn't answer right away, taking a moment to regain his senses. He let out a long sigh and a frustrated groan. "Alright! Alright! Fine! I'll come too."

 

Rhys looked between his friends. These three people were willingly going to go with him on this crazy, life changing adventure without a second thought. 

He knew this idea was crazy. Maybe he himself was a bit crazy. But these people were even crazier for going along with him and he was okay with that.

 

"Okay."

********************************************************

The rest of the night and most of the next morning, the gang was busy packing and planning. Rhys and Aerin didn't have very much to pack for it was all burned up in the fire but Circe and Kendal each lent them some money for each of the siblings to buy some extra clothes for when they were travelling. (Both siblings promising to pay them back once they could)

"I got a map." Kendal announced as he entered Circe's hut, a rolled up piece of yellowed parchment clutched in his hand, a sack slung over his shoulder.

"Great!" Rhys exclaimed as he stuffed his newly purchased tunic into a bag. He and the girls were sitting on the floor which was littered with bags, clothes, food and various other travelling necessities.

"You're sure it'll lead us to Kaella?" Circe asked as she carefully wrapped up some fruit.

"No, I bought a map that'll lead us to the merfolk region." The dwarf responded in a dry voice. He uncurled the map and slammed it on the table, stabbing his gloved finger at a spot on the map, right over the fancily written word 'Kaella'. "Yes I made sure to get the right map! I'm not that stupid!"

"I never said you were!" Circe defended.

"Don't you two start!" Rhys warned as he sat up on his knees and took the map, looking it over. He frowned as he looked at paper, realizing just how long this journey would take. "I didn't realize it was this far...."

"Looks like it'll be a few weeks of travel." Aerin commented as she peeked over. "Maybe more."

"You're still sure you want to do this Rhys?" Circe asked, tentatively.

"I'm going." Rhys answered firmly, closing his bag. "There's still time for you three to back out-"

 

"No! That's not what I meant!" Circe interrupted.

 

"We're all going." Aerin answered firmly as she rose to her feet and left the room.

 

"So, do we have everything?" Kendal asked the remaining two, his gold eyes swooping across the mostly packed bags.

 

"I believe so." Circe answered as she began to list the number of items off her fingers. "Spare clothes, money, food, water, your map, and the most important thing of all," she paused for dramatic affect as she reached into her satchel and pulled out a wrapped cloth. Carefully pulling up the corner to reveal it full of what looked like brightly colored little stones, but in reality were various types of nuts covered in a fruit flavored coating. "Smoots!"

 

"You're bringing along candy?" Rhys raised an eyebrow.

 

Circe scrunched up her face and lifted her nose high into the air. "Candy is very important." She said hotily.

 

"For once, I agree with ya." Kendal announced as he reached over and grabbed a handful of smoots, dumping them all into his mouth.

 

"Don't eat them all!" Circe shrieked, pulling the rest of the precious candies to her chest for safety. "Those things are hard to come by! Do you realize how long I've been saving them?!"

 

While his two friends once again started in on one of their famous arguments, Rhys felt his lips curling into a half smile and he realized that this is the first time in several days he was able to do that. It felt good to be able to smile that again.

Aerin chose that moment to return, Orin's old sword strapped securely to her back. "I'm ready."

 

"You're bringing the sword?" Rhys gently asked taking note of it.

 

Aerin nodded, keeping her expression as neutral as possible. "I don't know how long we'll be gone and I don't want to leave it behind so...."

 

Rhys nodded in understanding, silently letting her know that she didn't need to explain herself any further. "Good thinking. It might come in handy."

"Come in handy?" Kendal parroted. "Does she even know how to use that?"

 

"She is right here, first of all." Aerin snipped, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. She paused for a moment as she tried to figure out how to answer the question. "....And I'll figure out how to use it along the way. It can't be that hard."

"Very reassuring." Kendal grumbled under his breath as he strapped on his backpack; which was about as large as he was. Nobody commented on this fact though, none of them being in the mood to hear another of his rants.

Rhys reached over and helped Circe put on her saddle-bags and then he grabbed his own backpack, slinging it over onto his back. He looked around at his small group of friends and then around at the room. All their neccisites (smoots included) were packed, they had a map and as far as Rhys knew, Kendal and Circe had informed their families of where they were planning on going.

"Well....I guess we're ready."

 

"So....we're really doing this?" Circe commented.

 

"Yep." Aerin nodded.

 

"Well....let's head out, then." Rhys ordered.

 

And with that, the four of them exited Circe's hut and cut through the forest trees which lined the clearing where the centaurs and deer-taurs roamed. It wasn't long after that that the group reached a road and began to head north. 

Their journey was just beginning.

 

***************************************************

Their journey had been in motion for a few hours and already Rhys was severely regretting this descion.

 

"I can't believe you were holding the map upside down!" Circe yelled.

 

"Oh like you could have done any better!" Kendal snapped back, quickly turning the map over.

 

"You got us lost, you idiot!"

 

"We're not lost we're taking an alternate route!"

 

"Alternate route my hoof you little-"

 

"SHUT UP!" Aerin yelled at them. "Geez can't you two go an hour without bickering?!"

 

"No." Kendal and Circe answered in unison. Aerin covered her face with her hands and let out a long, loud, frustrated sigh.

 

"Everyone just simmer down." Rhys said calmly, taking the map from Kendal and holding it in front of him, trying to locate their place. "Now lets see where are we..."

 

"We definitely left Dameral." Aerin inputted helpfully. "We passed by the sign a few hours ago."

 

"Yes but where are we now?" Circe inquired.

 

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Rhys said as he continued to walk forward, eyes glued to the map. "There has to be some kind of landmark or something around here somewhere-Oof!"

 

His mumblings and footsteps were forced to a sudden halt as Rhys walked right into something that was very large and as hard as rock....and was also breathing.

 

Rhys quickly pulled himself away from the thing which he had bumped into and found himself staring at a mass of thick black hair. The hairy thing let out a shuddering breath and turned around and Rhys found himself staring into the beady, narrowed looking eyes of a very angry looking Minotaur.

 

"Can I help you?" the bull monster rumbled . His tone of voice and the way he glared at the prince an indicator that despite his words, he was not in a very helpful mood.

 

Rhys could feel the color draining from his face and his hands trembled to the point that the map nearly ripped in two. The Minotaur was several times larger than he was and looked like if Rhys so much as even breathed on him that it would set the beast off and cause him to easily snap Rhys' spine in two.

 

"WELL?!"

 

Rhys winced, his long chestnut hair blowing back from the force of the Minotaur's breath as it yelled. Rhys swallowed down his fear enough to force himself to speak. "I-I-I'm t-terribly sorry! I-I-I wasn't watching where I-I was g-going!"

 

"That much is obvious." the Minotaur huffed, crossing his arms. The golden ring in his septum glinting slightly as the sunlight caught it.

 

"Now, now Lexus, cant you see you're frightening the poor thing?" 

 

The voice was soft, barely spoken much above a whisper. Rhys could feel a second presence behind him and turned around. He gasped as he found a pair of bloodred eyes looking back at him and a pair of fangs poking out from a not so pleasant smile.

 

"So what brings you to these parts of the woods, stranger?" the vampire not so much asked but more like purred.

"I-uh...m-my friends and I were just passing through." Rhys stammered.

"And we gotta get going to." Kendal interrupted as he marched over, the girls not too far behind him. He reached up and grabbed his friend by the wrist. "Come on, lets go."

 

"What's your hurry?" a third voice asked as a Satyr stepped into view, previously having been hidden behind Lexus. "Stay for awhile."

 

"I think not." Kendal snapped.

 

"We really still have a lot of travelling to do." Rhys informed the trio as he rolled up the map and attempted to leave with his friends. "I-If you three could just-AUGH!"

 

"You're not going anywhere." Lexus rumbled as he clamped a thick, heavy hand on Rhys' shoulder, squeezing to the point that the secret prince was sure it would leave a bruise. "Not till you pay the fee."

 

"What fee?!" Circe shrieked. "This is a free road! You three are trying to scam us!"

 

But the deertaur was silenced as the satyr suddenly whipped out a small dagger and the vampire gave a wicked grin, exposing his fangs.

 

"Oh this ain't no scam, sweetheart." the Satyr smirked, holding the blade very close to Circe's frightened face. Kendal made a move to try to attack the Satyr but Aerin held him back, not wanting to further worse the situation. "This is a robbery. Plain and simple. Now hand over everything ya got!"

 

"W-W don't have anything of value though!" Rhys protested, wincing at the Minotaur's grip tightened on his shoulder.

 

"On the contrary," the vampire quipped, suddenly appearing on Rhys' side and grabbed his hand. "That ring of yours would fetch a pretty penny."

 

"Same with that sword that Pinkie's got." The Satyr grinned, eyeing the sword at Aerin's back.

 

"No, please!" Rhys begged, yanking his hand back. "That ring belonged to my father! A-And the sword was her father's! It's all we have left of them!"

 

"Too bad!" the Satyr yelled and then looked over at his vampire companion. "Elwin! Now!"

 

For a very brief moment, Rhys thought he saw Elwin's eyes glow but before he could stew on this, he blinked and both his ring and the sword were gone. He saw a quick blur which then turned back into Elwin who was now proudly holding the stolen treasures. "Hey!"

 

"Give those back!" Aerin shrieked, her voice nearing hysteria at the thought of losing the last item connected to her father. She released Kendal from her grasp and made a lunge for Elwin but was stopped as Lexus grabbed a handful of her curly bubblegum colored hair. 

 

"Alright! Now you sons of bitches are gonna get it!" Kendal roared and raised his fists. He made a move to attack the Satyr-who was the closest- but he too was stopped as Elwin appeared in front of him. Fangs barred and his eyes glowing as he let out a threatening hiss, forcing the dwarf to retreat.

 

With the two elves being quite literally held captive by Lexus, Elwin cornering Kendal and Circe still at knife point, things were looking rather grim. Rhys struggled in Lexus' grip. He had to get free. He had to get them all free and away from these creeps. But how? He had to do something now! He-

 

His thoughts were interrupted as the ground suddenly began to shake. He felt Lexus stumble as he struggled to keep his footing and he saw Kendal lose his completely and fall onto his backside. Off in the distance he could hear a loud, continuous, thunderous thudding which was gradually getting louder.

 

"What is that?" The Satyr asked, looking between his two companions.

 

"Look!" Lexus gasped as gestured-with Aerin- down the road.

 

The six remaining heads all turned and looked down in road. At first, all Rhys could see was a dot in the distance. The dot continued down the road towards them and gradually continued to get larger....and larger....and larger still until it was roughly ten feet in height. Once the dot had gotten closer, it was no longer a dot but now took on the form of a woman. I giant woman, to be exact.

 

"Shit! Scram guys!" the Satyr warned. He pulled his knife away from Circe and took off running, kicking up dirt with his hooves as he ran. Lexus meanwhile dropped Aerin and Rhys as if they were poisonus snakes about to strike him. Rhys landed facefirst into the dirt and Aerin across his back while the Minotaur took off after his half goat friend. Elwin meanwhile had turned paler than his usual complexion and with a small poof, he had transformed into a bat and frantically flapped his wings, taking off to the sky. The ring clutched in his mouth and the sword dangling from his feet as he gripped it by the handle.

 

The ground continued to shake and the giantess finally came to a stop. A shadow fell over the four as she reached out, clamping a hand around Elwin, abruptly stopping his great escape. The bat squeaked and wheezed in fear as he was pulled out of thin air and the giantess brought him in front of her face. Giant aqua eyes glaring at him.

 

"Drop them."

 

Elwin swallowed in fear and released his clawed grip on the sword. Orin's sword dropped straight down and Kendal let our a yelp as the blade landed in the ground right between his legs.

 

"And the ring." The giantess ordered, holding out her free hand. 

 

Elwin quickly spat out the ring and she caught it. Once both objects were safely retrieved, the giantess reared her arm back and threw Elwin as far as she could. A terrified squeak was heard as the vampire bat flew through the air and then disappeared beyond the tress. 

 

With a satisfied huff the giantess looked down at the four stunned travelers. She bent down and gently plucked the sword out and the ground and then held both it and the ring out to Rhys and Aerin. "I think these things belong to you."

 

Now that she was up close, the group finally got a good look at her. Dark red slightly wavy hair fell down past her shoulders and a pair of white feathered earrings hung from her ears. (Rhys found himself wondering what bird would have large enough feathers to make proper sized jewelry for a giant) Her aqua colored eyes were kind and she smiled softly at the four, trying to show them that despite the fact that she had just flung a man halfway across the forest, she meant no harm.

 

"I uh....Thank you." Rhys said as he and Aerin got back to their feet; each of them retrieving their fathers' possessions. "Really, thank you so much!"

 

"You have no idea how much these things mean to us." Aerin said gratefully as she placed the sword back in its holder on her back.

 

The giantess' smile grew. "It's no trouble, really."

 

"We were doing just fine without your help, thank you very much!" Kendal snapped, marching over and crossing his arms as he glared up at the giant woman.

 

"What are you talking about?!" Circe asked, shocked. "We would have gotten mugged if she hadn't had shown up! Or worse!"

 

"We woulda thought of something." Kendal insisted, stubbornly.

 

"You'll have to excuse Kendal," Rhys apologized. "He gets cranky if he can't punch anyone."

 

"I am not cranky!" The dwarf yelled.

 

The giantess giggled at the exchange. "My name's Relia."

 

"Pleasure to meet you." Rhys greeted. I'm Rhys, this is my sister Aerin and these are our friends Kendal and Circe."

 

"Nice to meet you!" Circe chirped, looking up at the redhead. "I've never met a giant before!"

 

"None of us have." Aerin added.

 

Relia just shrugged. "We are kind of rare...." she trailed off, looking lost in thought for a moment before snapping back to the conversation at hand. "What are you four doing here any? Not many people travel down this part of the forest."

 

"That's none of your business!" Kendal snapped but was silenced as Rhys placed his hand over his mouth. 

 

"We um.....well, it's a bit of a long story." he confessed as his short friend shoved his hand off. "But we seem to have gotten a bit lost. Do you happen to know where the nearest town is?"

 

"Not too far from here, actually." Relia replied. "Are any of you hungry?"

 

"Starving!" Circe confessed and it finally dawned on Rhys just how late in the day it was starting to get. It would be nearing dinnertime right about now.

 

"I know the owner of an inn in the next town." Relia said. "If you'd like we can go get some dinner and a room for the night. My treat."

 

"Oh no! We couldn't impose like that!" Rhys said shaking his head.

 

"I insist." Relia insisted.

 

Rhys was about to object but was nudged in the side by Aerin. "I don't know if we'll have enough money for an inn." she whispered.

 

Rhys bit his lip. He didn't want to take advantage of Relia's kindness but he and the others would be on the road for the gods only knew how long. They needed to pinch pennies wherever and whenever they could. 

 

"Well.....if you're sure."

 

"Great!" Relia cheered. "Come on. It's not far."

 

And with that, the group set off.


End file.
